Cahill 101
by kahillkid5
Summary: After being released from the Vespers, the children from the gauntlet and their siblings regroup at the Cahill manor. It's here they learn some shocking news.
1. Coming home

**Hello! For you new faces, this is my first time writing, so bear with me. This story is after Amy and Dan rescue everyone. To old readers, this is rewritten. Hopefully better. Please read, review and enjoy! I don't own thirty nine clues. Sadly. Anyway… let the story begin!**

"Dan! They're back!" called Amy over her shoulder, as she ran from the house. As Nellie, Fiske, Natalie, Alistair, Ted, Phoenix, Atticus and Reagan emerged from the car, family and friends converged on them. Amy was half-laughing, half-crying as she gave everyone a hug. She scanned the crowd of distant relatives, trying to find her brother, but Dan was off chasing Saladin. She didn't have much time to find him though. Amy was running around, bouncing from place to place like Dan on a sugar rush. Everyone understood why she was so happy, though. This was the captives' first time home since the Vespers had released them. Nellie's shoulder still was sore from the Vespers shooting her shoulder, so as soon as Sinead could get down the driveway, Nellie was whisked inside for medical treatment. Fiske watched them as he walked over to Amy and gave her a hug. He looked around after greeting her.

"Where's Evan?" he asked, puzzled. "He never usually leaves your side." Amy's excitement faded and she looked down, tasting bile. Ian saw her expression and guessed what they were talking about. He pushed through the throng of people to get to them. Ian met Fiske's eyes.

"Evan?" he asked Fiske.

Fiske nodded in response.

"We found out he was a Vesper. She broke up with him. It was painful. Literally."

"Painful?" inquired Fiske, grimacing.

"She landed a few blows and pushed him out a window," replied Ian with a wry smile.

"Oh my. Is he…?" Fiske couldn't bring himself to say dead. He wasn't sure whether to be proud that she took on a Vesper herself, or disapproving that she pushed someone out a window.

"Dead? No. He landed in the pool. He was pretty scratched up though. My sources say he is still in the hospital." Ian and Fiske simultaneously looked at Amy.

She glared at them, green eyes flashing. "He deserved it."

"I never said he didn't," soothed Fiske. They joined the procession heading up the Cahill's long driveway. Leila, Phoenix's mother, was fussing over him as she led him to their car. She had insisted that she leave as soon as Phoenix arrived. Leila paled as she learned he had taken the bullet out of Nellie's shoulder. Her eyes narrowed and she stomped over to Alistair.

"Phoenix, get in the car."

"But, mom..."

"Now." They saw the defeated Phoenix get into the car while Leila walked over to Alistair and started yelling at him. Alistair started edging toward where the Holts, who were welcoming Reagan back. Amy knew from talking to Hamilton that he still felt shaken from seeing her get hit with a crossbow after they shot Nellie. Ian had joined Natalie, and was listening to her story. Amy couldn't help but notice the looks Natalie was gave Dan. Interesting, she thought. They weren't looks of loathing or disgust...possibly, tolerance? It was the nicest she'd ever seen Natalie.

Nellie and Sinead rejoined them, and Sinead brought her brothers together in an embrace. She had been pacing while waiting for them to get home. She passed Alistair, who had finally gotten rid of Leila, and was now listening to something on his cell phone. Dan joined them, after finally catching Saladin and was carrying him up the driveway. He almost dropped Saladin several times while talking. Saladin was wriggling, trying to escape from Dan's tight grip. He had been cooped up for weeks, and didn't want to be confined any longer. Just them Nellie strode over to Amy and Dan.

"Hey kiddos, how are you? Sinead just gave me this really soothing medicine. She said she made it herself," said Nellie as she hugged Amy, Dan and the squirming Saladin.

Ian walked over. "Am I the only one who realizes that that position has potential as a torture device?" Everyone else laughed at that.

"Come on guys. I'm serious!" he groaned. He couldn't help grinning though at their faces and the happiness in the air. The teens watched as Dan tried to recapture Saladin, who had taken advantage of Nellie's hug to escape. Hamilton came over.

"I bet the cat escapes," he said, chuckling.

Amy made a shushing noise. "I want to hear this."

"Come here Saladin! I'll get three full bowls of red snapper, just for you," Saladin paused on the garden wall. "That's it," coaxed Dan. "Stay still." Just as he reached for Saladin, the cat jumped into the trees and disappeared. Dan stomped his foot angrily and spun around. He was surprised to see Natalie near him. She laughed at his attempt at catching Saladin. She pulled out a can of red snapper from her bag.

"I heard he likes this. He has good taste. Here," she said tossing him the can. "You can use this to get him back." She ran to catch up to everyone else, leaving him to try and recapture Saladin. Dan was luring him in while Amy, Ian, Sinead, and Hamilton laughed at his efforts, Saladin stubbornly refusing to move.

"I hope he catches Saladin," Sinead remarked. "It will be hard to find him if he escapes." The teens and the rest of the group had made it to the steps of the mansion. Dan ran to catch up to everyone, holding tightly to Grace's cat. Natalie walked over to Ian. Amy saw him ask her a question and her responding. She smiled when Natalie slapped Ian as he smirked at her. Everyone quieted down as Fiske stood on the front step.

"Everyone please report to the Cahill command room. Dan will lead you there." Dan started in with Natalie close behind him. Amy silently did a quick attendance check as they drifted in. Fiske, Dan, Natalie, Ned, Ted, Reagan, Madison, Hamilton, Sinead and Jonah were all present. She and Ian followed the last person to make sure no one got lost.

She walked behind Jonah to the command center. The technology in the command center was consisted of fingerprint scanners, video cameras, a telescope following the Gideon (their satellite, not the dead ancestor) and LCD touch screen walls.

In the room they had contact with people all over the world. Sinead designed some software that would keep all the technology going even if there was a blackout or loss of power. As the last people straggled to their seats Amy walked up to Fiske.

"The Holt parents, Atticus and Alistair Oh are missing," she said quietly.

In the same tone Fiske replied, "I know. The Holt parents are watching a game in town and Alistair is heading to Cairo."

"Atticus?"

"Heading home. His father wants to see him." Amy straightened and went to sit next to Dan at the same time Fiske stood up. The room settled down. After outsmarting Vesper 1, everyone was ready for the next stage of the plan.

"Welcome back, everyone. Let the meeting begin."

**I hope you liked it. Review any mistakes! Thanks.**


	2. A big suprise

**Chapter 2**

"We learned little of the Vespers except this. They want Cahill power, and they will do anything to get it. They are a group of people, not a family, which makes them all the more dangerous. They can recruit the best," he said as he looked around at them. "The branch leaders have gotten together and discussed the best course of action." He paused then spoke.

"You will all stay here."

"WHAT?" exploded from eleven throats. Dan was furious. They can't do that! Everyone started yelling at McIntyre.

"Silence!" Fiske yelled. He nodded at McIntyre to continue after the kids quieted down. "The Vespers are targeting the younger generation, mostly. The people in the branch that are helping unite the branches. They don't want us working together. Some of you know that Amy and Sinead," he nodded at the two girls, "have a boot camp of sorts. We are changing the idea to make it a school for Cahills. All of you are required to attend. We will tell your current schools that we will be homeschooling you for a year."

"B-but Mr. McIntyre!" Amy protested, "Sinead and I are teaching ourselves. We can't teach everyone!"

"We are hiring teachers. You have normal classes such as math and english. But you will also participate in code breaking, escape, agility, intelligence, strength and many more classes focused on Cahill subjects. As we learned from Amy's relationship with Evan, school could be filled with Vesper infiltrators. We are tripling security. This is the real reason the adults left. This is one of the many safe houses being built to for Cahills. But it is the only one that is also a school."

All the kids stared at him. Dan was the first to speak.

"I have to survive a year with these people," Dan said, stunned.

"Yes."

"I'm doomed," Dan groaned as he laid his head on the table.

"At the end of the year you will be given a written exam. If you pass that, you do one mission that determines whether you pass or fail. If you survive that test, then you are done with the year. What's the day Fiske?"

Fiske checked his calendar. "Friday," he responded.

"Good," McIntyre responded. "Tomorrow you will get your schedule. As there are only eleven of you, you all will have the same classes at the same time. Any supplies will also arrive then. There is only one rule. There will be absolutely no fighting. I know this group works together, mostly. But we can't risk one of you getting hurt. We need every one of you to succeed. Anyone who decides to pick a fight will be given a solo mission in Antarctica. We will come back in a helicopter at the end of a month to pick you up. If we can find you." He looked around to make sure the lecture hit home.

"On a happier note, we had enough rooms for everyone to have their own. Amy, Dan the rooms are in the guest hallway. The names are on the doors. Amy, you and your brother…"

"I am here, you know," Dan grumbled, miffed that he was being ignored.

"You will sleep in the same hallway with the rest of the students. You will all get your clothes and other belongings tonight."

"Tonight!" wailed Natalie. "What will I change into after lunch?"

"You can visit the mall quick," Amy reassured Natalie as Fiske spoke.

"Until Monday, children. Now run along."


	3. A secret room

**~ Hello! Sorry for not updating in so long. Thanks to my sister for typing this and thanks to luverinreadin, IceHeartEli, and TribalGirl for reviewing. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! ~**

Amy led them to the guest hallway. The boys were on the right, girls on the left. Amy walked in to her new room and lay down on the bed. The day was a lot to process. How did she not notice this happening? She took some time to study the room. It was a medium sized room with a window on the far wall. The walls were a light purple. There was a dresser and a closet by the window. The bed she was lying on was by the door leading to the hall. She saw another door and crossed the room to see it. When she went in she saw a bathroom. She reentered the hallway and looked at the name plate on the doors. Natalie and Sinead were on either side of her. Across from her was Ian's room. _I wonder if that was a coincidence_, she thought sarcastically. Just then she heard a voice behind her, coming from her room.

"Hey Amy, like your room?" Amy screamed and twirled around. Standing there was Sinead, a grin on her face. "Scare you?" She sat down on Amy`s bed the others ran over to Amy.

"What happened?" asked Ian urgently. "Are you okay?"

"I`m fine, Sinead just gave me a heart attack." She sagged on the bed and stared at Sinead, who was still grinning triumphantly. "How did you get in here without me noticing? I was at the door." Sinead nodded towards the floor. Amy looked and noticed a well-concealed trapdoor. "What rooms do they connect to?"

"Every room," Sinead replied, "but there is a lock on them you can use. Do we have everyone?" she looked around. Amy was gratified to see that everyone had come to make sure she was ok. "I'll give you tour." She led them down a flight of stairs. Natalie balked right before she went in.

"No way am I going down that! I don't have another change of clothes."

"Come on Natalie. It's not that bad." When she still refused to go Dan added "I'll help you make poisons for your gun." She finally agreed and followed him down.

"No way is he…" Amy started to protest, when Ian's hand covered her mouth.

"Don't blow it. It's a miracle that Dan got Natalie down there," he reprimanded her.

"There is no way I am letting my brother mix poisons," she told him firmly as he released her.

"Then I will tie you up and throw you in a closet until Dan is done helping Natalie," Ian said heartlessly. Amy glared at him.

"Ha." She sullenly walked down the stairs and appeared in a clearing of sorts. It was a large circular room with twelve staircases leading from the room. The staircases each had a colored border around it. They had just appeared from the one with the lilac border.

"What do the colored borders mean?" Hamilton asked.

"I think each border represents a different room. Amy's room was light purple, purple border. I bet the red border leads to my room." Jonah replied.

"Sinead, how did you know the lilac border was mine?" Amy asked.

"I didn't." she replied, looking around excitedly. "We should defiantly divide this room up. We can each paint our own spot with our room color and we can get carpeting, beanbags, paint and books. Any other ideas?" she asked as she took out a piece of paper and a pen. Her enthusiasm was catching and soon they had everything planned out.

"Why are there twelve staircases but only eleven of us?" Amy asked. Everyone else looked around. They were surprised to see the extra staircase.

"Everyone, go stand by the staircase leading to your room." Reagan commanded. Everyone moved to stand by their door without a fight, which surprised Amy.

"The green room is empty. Let go check it out," Dan said, bounding up the stairs. Everyone followed him. Amy was fretting the whole way.

"What if they're in a meeting? What if we get in trouble? Why are we doing this again?"

"Amy, if you don't stop worrying, I'm going to have Natalie shot you with a sleep dart." Dan told her. "Ian could carry you the rest of the way." Amy and Ian glared at him.

"What makes you think I would agree?" Ian challenged.

"Oh, I have my ways," Natalie said viciously. "Don't deny you would love it."

"Shut up Natalie."

"I'm walking with _nice_ people," Amy declared and fell back with Jonah.

"For a movie star, you're awfully quiet," Amy commented.

"Yo, I'm cool. I'm just composing a new song." Jonah said. He rarely used gangsta slang around the Cahill teens anymore.

"Really? That's why you are so quiet?" Amy replied disbelievingly.

"Well, I'm the only Janus. You guys are cool, but…" he trailed off.

"We're not really hip-hop, movie star material. I understand Jonah." He smiled gratefully.

"Thanks Amy." Up ahead Dan called down the stairs.

"We're here!" Everyone caught up to him. "Anyone want to go first?" When no one volunteered, he shrugged and threw open the trapdoor. He slowly stepped into the room and looked around as the others emerged.

"Looks like a bedroom," Dan commented. "It's identical to ours."

"I wonder who's sleeping here," Sinead said walking to the door.

"Let's go," Amy said after a few minutes, looking around nervously. "We have a long year ahead of us." As everyone left, Ian made his way over to her.

"Miss Cahill, may I escort you to your room?" he asked with a bow. Amy laughed and took his arm. She said good bye to him at her room and lay down on her bed, intending to sleep. Instead she lay there thinking. _Who was occupying the twelfth room? Will I pass the Cahill School? Did Ian like me?_ She sat up quickly. _Where did that come from? I will never forgive him for Korea. Never._ Her digital clock told her it was 6:30. Amy walked in to the backyard and started walking the maze. It took energy to get to the middle. She got lost once but managed to get to the middle. She was about to sit down at the bench when she saw Nellie. Nellie had looked up at the noise and beckoned her over.

"Hey kiddo. Sit down." Amy obediently came and sat next to Nellie. "Whatcha doing out here?"

"Thinking, you?"

"Same. Hey, I heard about Evan. Are you alright?" Nellie asked gently.

"How much did you hear?"

"Just what you told Fiske." Amy hesaited for a moment, then proceeded to tell her the whole story.

"When Ian told Evan about the Cahill`s, I was furious. But I started to like it. It was nice to be someone first priority. One day he joined me in the sunroom. He told me that he was a Vesper. He said he was sent to recruit me and Dan to the Vesper cause. I turned around and looked away. When he said my name, I couldn't stand it. I punched him and he fell out the window. It was awful."

She didn't mention to anyone that Ian had come in after he found out. He sat with her while she sobbed. He rocked her back and forth with his arm around her for a half an hour, maybe more. He had whispered comforting sounds in her ear, not caring that she was ruining his shirt.

But was that enough for her to forgive him? Afterwards, she was surprised that he bothered. He broke her heart in Korea. _I should hate him. But doesn`t helping me though Evan redeem him? _

_Hush_, Amy told that part of her brain. _I`ll deal with that problem when it comes._

"Oh, Amy. I`m so sorry." As Nellie hugged her, Amy realized again how much Nellie and Fiske meant to her and Dan. They weren't substitutes for her parents, but they were as close as they could get.

"Thanks Nellie." Amy stood up "I`m going to head to bed. Busy day tomorrow."

"Night, kiddo."

"Night, Nellie." Amy retraced her route through the maze. She was finally ready to sleep.

**~ Hello again! I hope you enjoyed it! Now I would like you readers to submit a review saying whether or not you want more Natan or less. I'm thinking about just making them friends and focused on the 3 main pairs. Amy/ Ian, Sinead/ Hamilton and Jonah/_. You'll find out Jonah's match eventually! Please review whether or not you think I should shorten chapters so I can update more. Thanks please review! ~**


	4. The first day

**~ I was faster this time, thankfully. Please review. I will post faster if I have 7 new reviews. Thank you to my current reviewers. Enjoy!~**

Natalie's alarm clock went off at 7:45. She slowly got up. After she was ready for the day, she walked into the hallway. She hesitated when she realized she didn't know where or when breakfast was. After a minute she walked to Amy's room and knocked. Amy answered almost immediately.

"Hey Natalie, what's up?" Amy asked puzzled.

"I'm fine, thank you. I just wondered when breakfast was."

"What time is it?"

"It is 8:25," Natalie replied.

"Wake everyone up. I'll take everyone down in 10 minutes." Amy disappeared into her room. Natalie knocked on everyone's door and told them when to be out. She did Daniel last.

"Hey Natalie, what's up?" Natalie sighed.

"The ceiling and the sky. Amy said to tell you that breakfast is in a few minutes."

"Alright, thanks." They stood there awkwardly. Dan smiled at her. "Sorry, I have to get ready. I'll see you down there."

"Bye." She slowly made her way back down to Amy's room. As the door opened, Natalie noticed Amy had changed from nightclothes into designer jean and a jade t-shirt. Natalie hated to admit it, but Amy's style might be improving. Just a little. She had pulled her hair back into a messy bun with a head band.

"Everyone coming? Good," Amy said briskly as nine people walked over to her and Natalie. "Ready? Come on." They walked down the stairs and turned right three doors down. Natalie made sure she remembered that. There was a table with fifteen seats around it. They were about to sit down before Madison noticed there was name cards. Noticing that Ian was next to Amy, Natalie wondered evilly if that was a coincidence. She smiled sweetly at Ian when he looked at her. He saw his scowl turn into a smile as he saw who was sitting next to her. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she turned around to see a smirking Dan offer Natalie her seat.

"Miss Cobra, I would be honored if you took this seat," Dan said innocently.

"Daniel, how many times must I tell you it is _Kabra_!" Natalie said annoyed.

"Until you can say Dan like everyone else," he shot back. They both sat down and started talking to the person on the opposite side. Natalie and Madison started debating the better poisons to use when you want to give someone a slow painful death. Just as Nellie started to enjoy the discussion Nellie, Fiske and Mr. McIntyre walked in.

As the Cahill's butler started bringing the meal in, Nellie explained how mealtimes would work.

"Each day, everyone will get a specific chore. One is cooking." Natalie was shocked. She had to cook? Nellie ignored the muttering between the children and continued. "The meal is already set. You just have to find the recipe and make it. You will get of class 15 minutes early if necessary. If the chef is ever making something you don't like, you are welcome to make a PBJ."

"Thank you Nellie," McIntyre said as Nellie sat down to eat. "On weekends, we will have cooks prepare your food. Two of the other chores will be bringing food to the table, another clearing it." He looked around. "Any questions?" Dan raised his hand. This was not going to be good. "Dan?"

"When did we become indentured servants?" Amy laid her head on the table as Nellie laughed.

"That's what I asked!" Nellie told Dan. Fiske glared at her.

"You aren't Dan," Fiske replied patiently." We just can't hire teachers, maids and cooks. Also, this way you gain some experience."

"What would we need cooking experience for?" Natalie scoffed disbelievingly.

"What if you needed to get close to the king of Belgium? There just happened to be an opening for chef. You could do it, as long as you knew how to cook." Fiske suggested. The kids seemed to process this.

"That makes sense," Amy ventured quietly.

"What are the other chores we have to do?" Sinead asked after a minute.

"One person will be in charge or waking everyone up and another in making sure everyone is in bed. During lunch one person will inspect the rooms on the right to make sure they're clean. Another person will do the left. The other five have nothing and can relax on those days. If they want to help they can. If necessary you may ask someone to switch or help you. It should not be often though." He looked at Sinead after he finished and she nodded her thanks.

"When will we have time to clean our room and what happens if we don't?" Amy asked.

"You could do it the night before or run up at the beginning of lunch. You will get extra homework if you don't it _or _if you purposely skip over yourself. Is that all? Everyone done? Good! Please report to your rooms and stay there. Your supplies will be coming soon.

* * *

><p>Sinead sat at her desk working on the plans for the secret room. Everyone had a signature color, which would be the color of their beanbag and paint. Jonah had offered to call in some interior designers to help. As she was thinking she heard a knock on her door. Nellie came in with an armload of supplies, grumbling.<p>

"We can't hire to many people; the Vespers will eventually find us, whatever. Hey Sinead here's your supplies. Materials, schedules and other information. Go to Amy if you have any questions." She looked at Sinead's desk. "Whatcha working on? The secret room?" Seeing Sinead's surprised face Nellie told her, "I was the one who put it in the plans. I figured that when you visited you could have your own hideout. I know you discovered it as you guys were quiet for nearly a half hour. Don't worry, Fiske and McIntyre don't know and I won't bother you."

She looked around the room. "Have you got your stuff yet?"

"Nope" Sinead said.

"Alright, I'll have it sent in." Nellie turned to go.

"Thanks Nellie." Nellie paused at the door for a minute and turned around to look at her.

"Sinead, have you heard…"

Ian was looking through his schedule. He couldn't believe he was going to be forced to take classes with Dan and Natalie at the _same time_. And classes with the Dolts? Those buffoons have less smarts than a turtle. This was going to be torture. He sighed. That was the kind of thinking that Amy and the madrigals disapproved of. His face softened as he thought of Amy.

Amy. She fascinated him. Girls had always thrown themselves at him seeing his wealth, looks and power. He had scars to prove it. But Amy remained aloof no matter what. That is, besides Korea. He had made a breakthrough with her and left her for dead in a cave. Why couldn't she understand that was what he had been trained his whole life to do? And everything else he hadn't wanted to, but it was mother's orders. Then he had found out his mother killed their parents.

She hated him; she had every reason to. Yet she had let him hold her as she sobbed. He didn't understand the feeling of rage and sadness that welled up inside him. Evan was gone. Why wasn't he happy? Why had she let him comfort her? Did she forgive him? Or was she so upset she didn't realize it was Ian? That was a depressing thought. He turned to his schedule.

1. Tomas

2. ELA/reading

3. Janus

4. Lunch

5. Math

6. Lucian

7. Ekat

8. Study hall

9. Madrigal

Ian groaned. It was going to be a long year. As he looked through his supplies he had a book of codes, a sports watch, math textbook, history book, and poisons manual, English work book, rock climbing gear, and binder and other school supplies. His suitcase lay unopened by the door. He had just turned toward the window when Sinead burst in. he whirled around, and then relaxed.

"Don't you knock?" he asked irritably. She shook her head.

"Not usually," she replied cheerfully. "Big news. Someone else is attending school here. They're the ones in the spare room."

**~ What did you think? Sorry for the cliff hanger. It seemed like a good place to stop. The next chapter is going to be really long, so it will take me awhile to update. Review, PM me, whatever! I want to her your opinions. Thanks, kahillkid5~**


	5. Suprise guest

**~ Here it is! Please read and give me feedback. Everything is appreciated. Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot. Thanks! ~**

"Really? Does the new person happen to be a Lucian boy?" Ian asked eagerly.

"Nope, she's a Madrigal girl. Her name is Nora. Isn't that pretty?" Sinead chatted happily. "You go tell Amy and Natalie. Tell Amy to tell Dan. I'll get the rest."

"When is she coming?" Ian asked, disappointed.

"Tonight at 7. See you!" Sinead started skipping towards Jonah's room. Ian crossed over to Amy's room and knocked softly.

"Amy?" he called.

"Hey," she said after she opened the door. he looked at her eyes. Her beautiful jade yes. "What's up?" He looked at her as he responded.

"Just some news. Apparently a new Madrigal girl is coming tonight at 7. Her name is Nora. You're supposed to tell Dan."

"Yea!" she cheered. She looked at him and took in his glum expression. "You looked thrilled."

"Sure!" he said half-heartedly, thinking she meant it. He didn't notice her amusement. Just then Sinead rushed past then, coming from Reagan's room, and went down the steps.

"Bye," Amy said, suddenly shy.

"Bye." Ian mulled over this mood swing as he walked to Natalie's room. _Ah well. Girls. I'll never understand them._

* * *

><p>Hamilton was out running laps around the pool, just like Reagan had told her. It was fall, so it was warm enough that he had worked up a sweat. When he saw Sinead he waved and took a seat on one of the benches by the pool. Sinead walked over and after a second sat down.<p>

"Aren't you cold?" she asked him, noticing he was in a t-shirt and shorts.

"Nah, running keeps you plenty warm," he responded.

"Cool. Anyway, did you hear the news?" she continued when she noticed his blank expression. "A new girl is coming tonight at 7."

"What branch?"

"Madrigal." She dropped a bracelet she had been absentmindedly playing with. She reached to pick it up, but Hamilton beat her to it. She took it from his hand and saw him blush as their hands met. She smiled softly at him as she said goodbye and started walking back to the mansion. At the back door she looked to see Hamilton resume his running. She turned to head inside but saw Ned and Ted blocking the door.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked.

"Waiting for you," Ned told her.

"Why?" she probed when they offered no information.

"We talked to Fiske and he say the operations we designed would work and they found a doctor willing to preform it," Ned said quickly.

"All we need is your permission," ted mumbled.

"Mine?" Sinead asked surprised. "You're the same age as me. Why do need my permission?"

"We trust you. We don't want to do something you don't think is a good idea." Ned said hesitantly.

"I think it's a great idea." She gave each of them a hug as they squirmed away. "Thanks for asking me." Ted nodded and followed Ned inside. She took one last look at Hamilton, who was now doing pushups, and went inside. She still had to make a list for shopping.

* * *

><p>Jonah was looking at Gangsta Chronicles reviews when he noticed it was 6:45. He stood and joined Dan in the hall. Dan was hurriedly brushing his hair.<p>

"You trying to make a good impression?" Jonah teased.

"No. When Amy came to tell me Nora was coming Amy told me if I didn't look nice she would take away my ninja outfit for two weeks!" Jonah laughed as the stepped into the front room. Everyone was there except Amy and Natalie.

"What did Natalie do to Amy?" Dan asked Ian accusingly.

"Actually, Amy is helping Natalie with her makeup." Ian replied, insulted.

"Sense when does Amy know how to put on makeup?" Dan wondered aloud.

"Sense she wears it every day." Ian rolled his eyes. "Really Dan, you didn't notice?"

"Why did you notice, Ian?" Natalie asked as she walked in. Ian didn't answer. "Buzz off." Amy followed close behind Natalie.

"Yo, guys look! There's the car." Jonah told the room. Amy and Dan walked down the driveway to where the car was parked.

Jonah watched Nora emerge from the car. She had long blond hair and was wearing a light blue dress with other blues mottled in. Looking at her, Jonah almost thought she was a Janus. She took a few bags back from Amy and Dan and started walking up the driveway, chatting with the Cahills. Jonah was amazed at her grace.

"Hello," she called cheerfully as she approached the house. Jonah quickly opened the door for her.

"Thanks Jonah," she said as she smiled at him. Her eyes matched her dress.

"How do you know my name?" He stumbled over the words and cursed his stupidity. How did this girl make him so tongue tied?

"I'm a huge gangsta fan. I'm really excited to meet you."

"That's sick, yo," she said as he took her bags.

"I can…" She protested as she tried to reclaim her bags.

"It's fine," Jonah interrupted. "I can take them up to your room." He let go of the door as Amy and Dan strangled up the steps. He started for the stairs with Nora close behind. Ian and Amy shared a look as Ian reopened the door.

"A little oblivious," Ian noted. "It's remarkable he closed the door on you without noticing."

"He's a little star struck," Natalie informed Ian. "But this time it's not with himself." The teens laughed as they each grabbed a bag and made their way upstairs, following Nora and Jonah.

* * *

><p>Reagan lay down on her bed, glad she was done for the day. She, Hamilton and Madison had just got back from their three mile run. They did it every night before bed. She was nervous for the coming year. She couldn't believe that she was going to a school with Cahills. This was bound to be an interesting year. Madison entered the room to give her a shirt she had borrowed. Madison clapped her on the back before she left.<p>

"Night sis." With that she was gone.

**~ How was it? Was it worth the wait? I would like some reviews, even anonymous reviews. See that little button down there? I need 5 people (or more!) to push that button. And I mean it this time. Thanks to you all though for reading. It means a lot to me. Adios! ~**


	6. Shopping!

**~ Oh, yeah. Two chapters in one weekend! I'm so happy. Thanks my reviewers! Thank you guys so much! I made my goal! I hope you enjoy. Tell me about any mistakes, I kind of rushed. Thanks and enjoy. ~**

Nora woke her heart pounding. She looked around wildly and relaxed as she realized everything had been a dream. At least, she with it was. She could still hear screaming as her mother was dragged away. She took herself out of the memory.

"Come on Nora, keep up," she reprimanded herself as she got ready for the day. The twelve Cahills were going shopping, much to the boys' dismay. They lightened a bit when they found they weren't going clothes shopping. The boys were going to get things for the secret room Jonah had shown her last night. The girls however, were going for a clothes spree and spa. She got into a pink sundress with matching flats before going to wake Amy up. If this was her last day without school, she wasn't going to miss a minute.

Ned and Ted walked sullenly down the stairs. How in the world did Sinead convince them to do this? Oh yeah. Half persuasion, half Natalie's tranquilizer gun. They entered to find all the girls except Reagan and Madison rushing through their meal. All the boy and Reagan and Madison were procrastinating.

"Late!" proclaimed Sinead as they walked in. Hamilton tossed them both an orange.

"Eat up kiddos," Nellie told them from the head of the table.

"This is abuse!" Ned protested picking Ted's orange off the floor for him. "How are we supposed to walk around the mall all day with nothing to eat but an orange?"

"You'll live," Sinead replied heartlessly. "Anyway, as soon as we get there you are just going to head to the food courts. Admit it." Ted tried to think of a witty response but failed. He hoped Ned would come up with something.

"Yeah, whatever," Ned tapped the back of Teds hand and Ted followed Ned's shadow to the table. Ned's phone rang as he sat down. He answered the phone before Sinead could yell at him. His eyes widened as he listen to the speaker, then smirked.

"Sorry, we won't be able to join your fun fest today. The doctor said today he has time to perform the surgery." Sinead's eyes grew worried then narrowed. She eventually decided it really was the doctor who called and it wasn't a prank.

This created a problem. "They can't go alone," she said resigned. She knew she should go with them, but she loved shopping.

"We'll go!" volunteered Reagan and Madison simultaneously. Hamilton chuckled inwardly. They hated shopping more than… well anything. Sinead considered then agreed.

"That's fine, although," Sinead stared at the girls, "I will personally sign your execution order if anything happens to them." The girls nodded, and then escaped with the starling boys before Sinead could change her mint. Nora turned to the remaining teens.

"Let's get this show on the road!"

* * *

><p>Hamilton sighed inwardly as Ian and Jonah yet again began arguing. Who cared whether the beanbag was light or dark purple? They each had a pile of beanbags they wanted to buy. He finally got tired of the bickering and beckoned Dan over. Dan grinned as Hamilton outlined his plan.<p>

Dan quietly grabbed Ian's wallet as Hamilton grabbed 6 beanbag from Jonah's pile and 6 beanbags from Ian's. They went up to the register and paid for them. They helped the assistant put the unchosen beanbags away. Only then did Ian notice what was happening.

"Daniel, why do you have my wallet?" Ian asked in a deadly calm voice. Dan quickly hid behind Hamilton.

"Let's go guys! We're done here," Hamilton encouraged.

"We have to decide which beanbags to get though," Jonah protested. He looked around. "Specking of which, where are they?"

"I already got them. Come on!" Hamilton said, exasperated.

"What if you picked the wrong ones?" Ian asked horrified.

"Don't worry Ian. I got light purple for Amy instead for dark purple. That was your choice right?" Hamilton asked innocently. Dan smirked and Jonah snickered. Ian suddenly got a glint in his eye and rounded on Jonah.

"I can't help that notice that _Nora's_ beanbag is dark green like you wanted," He noted evilly. Hamilton nodded solemnly as Jonah blushed.

"Ha! I knew it!" Ian crowed triumphantly. "Jonah likes Nora!"

"Ian likes Amy!" Jonah shot back.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Hamilton noted. "Come on love birds. We still have to get paint."

* * *

><p>Amy sighed in relief as they left the clothing store. All the girls were now toting at least two bags. Natalie had thrown a fit when she found the store didn't have the newest collection of designer pajamas, but Nora had settled it down. They were now on their way to the spa.<p>

All after crossing half the mall they arrived at the spa. Amy's fine toned instincts swept the room for possible exits, weapons and distractions. She turned slightly to see Sinead doing the same thing. Natalie hurried to reassure them.

"Everyone here has been checked and double checked for vesper identification. We can just relax." It took a few minutes before Amy could relax completely. She closed her eyes, not thinking about clues, Vespers, brothers or crushes. An hour later the left feeling refreshed. Amy was talking to Nora and warning her about Dan's pranks. Nora was laughing at Dan's latest prank when they approached the boys outside the pet store. Dan had his innocent face on. She strode over there in time to hear Dan.

"And it would go great with your hair," Dan said, trying to hide a smile.

"Hello Dan, Ian. What is going on here?" Amy interrupted.

"Dan is trying to convince me to buy a snake. He says it goes well with my personality," Ian said, his impatience thinly veiled.

"Dan," Amy groaned. "What in the world makes you think we would get a snake?"

"Oh, come on! Just one more pet!" Dan protested. Amy ignored him and he went on sulking.

* * *

><p>Ted suddenly felt a little queasy. What if it didn't work? What would happen? Just then the nurse came in.<p>

"You ready?" she asked cheerily.

"Yep" Ted replied shortly. She glanced at Reagan and Hamsteed, his Seeing Eye dog.

"Your girlfriend?" she asked.

"Who?" he said confused. "Oh Reagan? She`s an, um, family friend."

"Alright, then. Here`s the anesthesia shot." He felt something pierce his arm and he gently fell asleep as Reagan left.

* * *

><p>Madison met Reagan in the lobby to wait. The boy's surgery would take two hours. They talked for a while, and then elapsed into a quite silence. Madison got some food at the hospital cafeteria for her and Reagan. After an hour and a half, she just continued to pace like a caged tiger. Reagan was reading a magazine and looked up when Madison sat down with a sigh.<p>

"Are you alright?" Reagan asked her twin.

"I wish that they`d hurry up." Madison snapped back. Reagan took no offence but asked her.

"Would you rather them hurry and mess up or take their time and have it work?" Madison stood up and started pacing while Reagan went back to her magazine. Just then the doctor walked in.

"Is everything alright?" Madison asked alarmed. The doctor hurried to reassure her.

"They're fine. The surgery worked, miraculously. They will be waking up soon. They are in room 12b." The girls thanked him and hurried over to the hallway. They finally reached room 12b and went inside. The boys were still asleep, but stirring. Ned woke up first.

"Where am I?" he asked drowsily.

"The hospital," Madison told him. He woke up fast.

"How's Ted?" he asked straining to look at the other bed. Reagan grabbed her twins arm.

"He's waking up!"

**~ What did you think? I want to know. Let's play a game. There is a blue button on this page. I would like as many people as possible to push that button. I don't have a limit this time however. I'll post when I can. Thanks! ~**


	7. Flat tires

**Sorry, I've been really busy. The next one will be faster, I promise. Oh, and if you know Jonah's eye color please review or PM me. Just as a refresher, I do not down 39 clues. Though that would be sweet. Enjoy!**

Ted looked at the white ceiling, exhausted. He wanted to go back to … wait. White ceiling? He looked at the blue wall, Reagan, Madison and Ned. He smiled big enough that he thought his face would break.

"I can see!" He stood up and danced, all exhaustion driven away. Ned stood up and gave him a hug. Ted looked at them all.

"You guys look different, older." Reagan handed him a mirror.

"Take a look at yourself," she laughed. He looked in. Besides being older, he looked the same; there were no side effects of the surgery.

"I look different, but the same." He looked at his clothes. "And I'm wearing a hospital gown!" The boys had the girls leave so they could change, with Ted looking at everything with hungry eyes. The doctor came in to make sure they were ready to leave the hospital. He was impressed the surgery left no lasting side effects.

"Thanks boys. You have helped a lot of people today." The teens were going to stroll through the park so ted could see some more of Attleboro. It was about noon when they finally left the hospital.

They wandered the park with Ted taking in all the sights. They stopped at a hotdog stand for lunch. Unlike the Kabras, the starlings had no inhibitions to eating hotdogs.

"There was a man dressed as a giant fish to sell something, and three cats jumped on him and tried to eat him. It was so funny." Reagan was telling the boys.

"Guys, we better head home. They'll be back soon," Ned told them, looking at his watch.

"I'll beat all of you to the taxi stop!" Madison howled over her shoulder as she started to sprint. Reagan started racing after her, with the Starling boys following gamely behind. They hailed a taxi, ready to hear their friends' adventures.

* * *

><p>The limo was carrying the kids back from the mall. Ian, Amy, Dan and Natalie were sitting across from Jonah, Nora, Hamilton and Sinead. Ian gazed out the window at all the trees and houses passing by. After shopping for paint, carpets, bean bags and other things, he defiantly thought the girls got the easier part of the deal.<p>

All of a sudden, the car lurched to the left and stopped. The unexpected movement had thrown Amy on top of Ian. They both blushed, and Amy climbed of him.

"Sorry," she mumbled, embarrassed.

"It's fine," he told her. They waited a few minutes for the car to restart. "What's going on?" Ian asked impatiently. He stepped outside and talked to the driver. "Why have we stopped?"

"We have a flat tire," the driver admitted sheepishly.

"Do we have a spare?" the drive nodded.

"Yeah, but no way to lift the car so we can replace it." Ian smiled.

"And a Holt finally comes in handy."

Hamilton grunted under the weight of the car of the car. Dan and Ian were on his right, Jonah on his left. Even with all of them tough, they couldn't get it high enough.

"Set it down," Nora told them. "No point in wasting your energy." Sinead came up with an idea as they set the car down.

"Why don't the driver, Amy, Nora and maybe Natalie if she wants to help, push car up with you guys while I change the tire." The driver started protesting when Hamilton interrupted him.

"Are you a cahill?" Hamilton demanded. The driver nodded mutely. "Sinead is an Ekat. She was able to build or disable anything since birth. She was trained to use nuclear bombs, trucks and advanced technology as soon as she can walk." Sinead blushed at his praise, but Hamilton was too busy staring down the driver to notice. "You think she can handle changing a tire?" the driver might have argued with Sinead but faced with Hamilton's bulk, he backed down. He started muttering as Sinead smiled at Hamilton.

"Thanks," she whispered as she brushed past him. His heart started thumping. She was so beautiful. He snapped himself out of it as everyone started lifting the car. With the extra strength it was easier. Even Natalie pitched in.

"Yes!" cheered Sinead as she put the last bolt in place. "We're done." The Cahills set it down with sigh of relief and climbed back into the car. As Sinead sat next to him, Hamilton smiled slightly.

* * *

><p>Nora sat and watched her new classmates. Ian and Amy quietly sitting next to each other, both lost in thought. They like each other, she though satisfied. Next she looked at Natalie and Dan. Opposites could attract, but they have nothing in common. They'll be interesting to watch. Sinead and Hamilton would initiate conversation once and a while, then elapse into silence. Hamilton obviously liked Sinead, but did she like him? Nora vowed to find out at next opportunity. She turned to Jonah sitting at her right. He noticed her gaze and smiled.<p>

"Hey." His green eyes stunned her, but she smiled back.

" Hey. How you holding up?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm good. You?"

"Good." They went back to thinking, but it wasn't awkward. Rather it was a companionable silence. Nora couldn't help letting a smile brake through. Maybe she'd find her own match.

**Again sorry for the wait. Can I have 7 new reviews? Here are some topics for reviews**

**What game I should add and examples (truth or dare, karaoke)**

**Mistakes you've found**

**Your honest opinion of the story**

**Dates I should update by**

**What you think of Jonah and Nora!**

**And of course anything else too. Thanks guys! I'll try to update soon.**


	8. Redesign

**Hey! I couln't wait any longer to post this. Thanks to all my reviewers. It means a lot that you guys take time to help me improve this. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I won't keep you any longer!**

Madison looked around the table, extremely happy. She had had a great day. It was nice to take a break from the worrying. She turned to talk to Nellie. She was curious about the school and how it would work. Nellie answered her with as little details as possible though.

"What happens if a teacher is sick?"

"You get a study hall that period." Madison cheered quietly.

"Do we have homework from every class every day?"

"Nope. Only two or three classes each day." This was getting better and better. Nellie grinned when she saw Madison's face.

"Do we have tests?"

"Of course!" Darn.

"When do we find out what chores we have?" Nellie's face grew worried instantly.

"Opps! We forgot to make the schedule!" She stood up. "Everyone!" Nellie yelled over the din. Everyone shut up. " You will have no chores tomorrow. We forgot to make schedules," she admitted sheepishly.

"Oh yeah!" Dan, Ned and Ted cheered. Everyone laughed.

"You have an hour and a half before you should turn lights out and be in bed. You can do whatever you want." The kids streamed out and headed towards their room. Sinead beat everyone to the top of the stairs and handed all the teens a note. Madison took it and went into her room. She had barely opened the note when Reagan burst in.

"Do you get it?" she questioned.

"Let me read it first, then I'll tell you," Madison told her, annoyed. She opened the piece of paper to see dots and dashes scrawled across the page.

- . . - / .. -. / - ... . / ... . -.-. .-. . - / .-. - - - .-.-.-

"It's Morse code." Madison raised an eyebrow at her twin.

"Can you _read_ it?" Reagan emphasized.

"Nope. But Hamilton can." The girls quickly grabbed the note and ran to their brother's room.

* * *

><p>"It says 'Meet in the secret room.' Wow. That was difficult." Hamilton translated sarcastically. "Let's go. We don't want to be the last ones down there. Hamilton opened the trap door leading downwards. But the stairs were gone. In its place was a slide. Reagan hesitated, but Hamilton and Madison reserves. They jumped on the slide, screaming the whole way down.<p>

"Please don't let this be a trap," Reagan prayed and started to slide.

* * *

><p>Dan looked around in wonder. He had just slid into the hideout from his bedroom and was sitting on the black beanbag they picked for him. The room looked like a color wheel with twelve different colors in a different part of the room. His area had a black carpet and beanbag at the end of the slide. There were posters of ninjas on the black walls. He had a bookshelf with his school books and video games on it.<p>

"Awesome." He looked around in awe and spotted a rippling … floor? It was the same colors as the sections. Sinead was sitting on the yellow section.

"It's a trampoline floor," she explained. "It moves when you shift." He hopped up from the beanbag and took his seat across from her in his seat. After he got comfortable Dan gazed around the room. he noticed that everyone had the same layout as he did, except with their color. Everyone also had different items on their bookshelves. To his surprise Amy also had a guitar in her section.

"Congrats, Dan. You're the first one down." He finished analyzing the room and turned to Sinead.

"How are we going to get back up the slide?" Dan questioned.

"I can change it back into a staircase. Jonah's designers did the room while some friends of mine installed the stairs." As Sinead was talking Hamilton, Madison and Reagan all appeared from Hamilton's room.

"Hey guys," Sinead greeted them as she shifted. "Come join us." The Holts instinctively went to their color. The muscular teens gingerly sat down as the Starling boys and Natalie joined them.

"Hey, Nat, did you notice the beanbag wasn't imported silk?" She sighed and glared at him.

"Daniel, as long as I'm wearing designer clothing, I've adjusted to being poor."

"It's DAN! Anyway four millions is _not _poor."

"It isn't to you peasants." As Natalie and Dan continued their argument, Amy and Ian slid in. Together. _From Ian's room._ Dan's eyes narrowed.

"Amy, what were you doing in the Cobra's room?" Dan hissed between clenched teeth. Amy was saved from answering by the arrival of Jonah and Nora. They all managed to settle down without further incident. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Nora spoke.

"Do you guys want to play a game?"

**What did you think? Sorry Hamilton's POV was so short. Here is helpful stuff you could review about:**

**-Games! Suggestions, examples. Would truth or dare be too cliché?**

**-Misspellings or grammar problems. They are always helpful.**

**-Some translations to fan fiction slang! I get so confused…**

**-Anything you think would add a good addition to this story.**

**-And of course anything else you want to add! **

**Thanks again to everyone. Please review. If you hate it this tell me how to get better. If you love it, it will stop me from quitting. Oh, here are some comments from the reviews, since I couldn't PM them**

**Anonymous, from chap. 6: I'm sorry you don't like Nora. I need her here though, as she plays an important role in the story.**

**Anonymous, from chap. 7: Thanks! I'm glad you are enjoying it.**

**Fun99: I will continue, don't worry. I'm scared to not continue now. Thanks for the nice truth though!**


	9. Truth or Dare

**Hey, sorry for taking so long to update. It took me a while to find time to type this. I hope you like this chapter. Enjoy!**

Jonah stared at her, along with everyone else. Cahills, play a game? Huh. Don't think that's happened before.

"That sounds fun," Amy considered. "What game?"

"Oh!" Natalie squealed, "Let's play truth or dare!" Wow. That backfired. All the boys had mortified expressions and Jonah was scared to see the girls actually considering it. If the girls decided to play truth or dare, they would have no choice. Jonah might take on one of them, but Amy, Sinead, Natalie _and_ Nora? Plus the Holt girls? Uh-uh. Jonah didn't have a death wish. Jonah looked around the room for anyway to distract them.

"Amy, why do you have a guitar?" he asked.

"Maybe you'll find out," she told him, "during our game of truth or dare."

Ned groaned. He had no choice as Ian agreed the game was on. He probably did it just to get on Amy's good side. There was no ay Ned would take on both Kabras. He watched sullenly as the girls decided who would go first.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Amy suggested. Natalie shook her head.

"Who wants to go first?" Natalie asked. The boys all simultaneously raised their hands. Ned did not want to be picked on to do something.

"Pick Dan. He probably doesn't have any ideas yet." Amy whispered to the girls surrounding her.

"Fine. Dan, you're up," Sinead told him. Ned grinned at Dan's face. Ah, someone was going to get it.

"Natalie, truth or dare?"

Natalie's mind was whirling. Truth or dare, she'll get humiliated. What would be safer? With Dan… probably truth. _But I'm no chicken,_ she thought.

Her face didn't changes as though flew through her head. She looked at Dan and smirked.

"Dare." Everyone except Dan and Nora gasped. _Ha,_ Natalie thought. _Keep them guessing._ She smiled in her brief moment of triumph.

That feeling didn't last long. "I dare you to dump milk in your Prada purse," Dan said triumphantly. Natalie paled.

"I have things in there I need!" she protested, trying to get out of it.

"You can take them out," Dan said carelessly. "Go on." Natalie grinned, sure she had found a loophole.

"I don't have my purse with me," She said innocently. Sinead decided to help Dan out.

"Don't worry, I installed an automatic transporter. It can fetch and return anything you need in the house." Natalie gave Sinead a patented I'll-kill-you-with-my-bare-hands glare. Sinead smiled sweetly as she pulled a string. A small cubed machine was lowered down, and started buzzing as Sinead punched in some letters on the keyboard.

"Cool!" Dan exclaimed as the machine buzzed above them. Within minutes, Natalie's purse and a carton of milk had arrived. As Natalie started removing things Amy and Hamilton moved away from her.

"Three dart guns, two bottles of poison, a Justin Bieber CD? Can this get any worse?" Dan cried. Natalie smiled inwardly. She had the perfect revenge.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Natalie said, grimacing. She slowly poured the milk in. She winced every time she heard a splash. After it was empty there was a silence, and then Natalie began bawling.

"I'm sorry, pursey," she sobbed. Dan started shifting, feeling uncomfortable, as everyone around the circle tried to hide grins. She was obviously faking and only someone as oblivious as Dan wouldn't notice.

"Um, Natalie, I guess it's your turn." Natalie's tears evaporated and she grinned evilly.

"Dan, truth or dare."

"I just went!" He protested, fearing the worst.

"You can go again," Hamilton told him. He gestured around the circle. "We don't mind."

"Dare?" He said in a tiny voice. He was in _trouble._

"I dare you to sing along with Justin Bieber's 'Under the Mistletoe'."

"NOOO!" Dan yelled. He continued for three minutes before Ned clapped a hand over his mouth. Sinead rolled her eyes.

"Just sing already." Natalie handed him her Justin Bieber CD. He sighed inwardly as he put it in and started singing. After two stanzas everyone was laughing so hard no one could hear the CD. Dan stopped singing and just mouthed the words. Afterwards, he sat down, humiliated.

"Amy, truth or dare?" Dan questioned after the laughter had died down.

"Truth," she declared confidently. Really, she would have been scared to choose dare.

Dan's eyes glinted "What were in doing in the Cobra's room?"

"I was asking him about some Madrigal-Lucian negotiations. And he wanted to show me a painting," she added as an afterthought.

"He didn't try to kiss you?" Dan probed. Amy blushed.

"Dan!" she cried, embarrassed. Ian had the same expression a=on his face.

"Making sure," he grumbled as Amy looked for her victim. Natalie bet thirty dollars that she was going to pick Ian.

"Ian, truth or dare?" Natalie grinned.

"Truth." Amy bit her lip thinking.

"What were you thinking in Korea?" she decided at last. Ian frowned.

"When?" he asked stalling. She rolled her eyes.

"When do you think?" Amy demanded. Everyone besides Natalie and Dan were looking at them in confusion. He sighed. How would he explain this?

"Well, I was trying to make you fall for me. It would make carrying out mum… Isabel's orders easier. But seeing you enjoy with all the smallest things. It... It change dhow I looked at you. But after saving you, I realized that…" he looked at hands, choosing his words carefully. "That you were more than you seemed. It seemed my plan had backfired on me."

It was silent as everyone processed this speech. Then Dan spoke.

"That's your excuse for kissing my sister?" Dan replied incredulity. Everyone besides the Kabras and Cahills looked at Amy and Ian in surprise. Dan looked furious.

"Come on. You lead her on and left us to die! What's wrong with you?"

"Daniel, I wasn't leading her. I really did love her…" _and might still,_ he finished in his mind. Dan's face softened a little and he stopped scowling. Amy blushed and started fiddling with Grace's necklace around her neck. Ian snapped out of his musing and looked at Sinead.

"Truth or dare Sinead?" She thought for a minute, then said

"Dare."

"I dare you to kiss Hamilton." This sentence took a minute to sink in. She paled rapidly as she realized what she what she had to do.

**So what did you think? I'll be rewriting the first chapter soon, as my beta reader, Tribal girl helped me a lot. I'm going to get the next chapter up, but it might take me a while to update. Please, please, please review. It means a lot. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to read this story. I hope to update soon. Merry Christmas!**


	10. Truth or Dare continued

**~I did it! The next chapter is here. I don't own 39 clues. Enjoy, read and review!~**

Hamilton froze. Did he hear right or did his swim earlier leave water in his ears? He looked at Sinead for conformation that he was hearing things, but her face was quickly turning white. He looked at Ian, but there was no mercy in his eyes. Sinead slowly stood up and walked towards him. Ian roughly pushed him up, with help from Natalie. Hamilton stood awkwardly as Sinead walked closer.

His mind was on hyper drive. He noticed her hair in front of her face, her hands fiddling with the hem of her shirt. Soon she was in front of him, coming closer, standing on her tiptoes to reach him. Instinctively he bent down...

As their lips touched, Sinead was filled with energy, her heart beating a mile a minute. She forgot that he was a Tomas. She even forgot he was Hamilton Holt. She never wanted to move from his side. He pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. She felt his warmth his heart, his heart beating just as fast as hers.

"Ew! Hamilton, since when do you like Sinead?" Dan complained. Sinead and Hamilton broke apart, blushing. Natalie and Amy glared at Dan. He immediately cowered lower in the seat. Sinead walked back to her spot, still not able to think. As Hamilton turned around, he took a deep breath before sitting down. He noticed Ian and Jonah smirking and knew he probably was going to end up doing their chores for a while. Madison, Reagan, Ned and Ted looked furious.

"Go on Hamilton. Answer Dan's question." Ned growled. Hamilton looked desperately at the circle for help. He saw no respite from any of the other boys or Natalie. Sinead was still distant and Nora was grinning at the argument. Amy had a pitying look on her face, but when he looked at her, she shrugged. Amy decided she would help him. Eventually.

"I... Um, I...well," he stuttered. Ted rolled his eyes.

"Ah, Sinead, your boyfriend doesn't know what to say." Sinead was knocked out of her reverie.

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"Really? I couldn't tell." Reagan grumbled.

"Sinead, it's your turn to do someone," Amy interrupted.

"Jonah, truth or dare?" Sinead asked quickly before anyone could revert to the original subject.

"Dare." It was obvious Jonah was a little nervous.

"I dare you to…" she looked around for inspiration; "sing the ABC's" Dan rolled his eyes.

"You're worse than Amy at this," he snorted. Jonah shrugged and started singing. Within three minutes he was done and looking around for a victim.

"Ted truth or dare." Ted thought for a moment, and then shrugged.

"Dare," Ted said carelessly.

"I dare you to…" Jonah leaned over and whispered in his ear. Ted grinned and typed something into the transporter. He lifted out a…

Nerf gun? _Why does Ted have my nerf gun?_ Don wondered, surprised. Then Ted shot a foam bullet at Ian. Ian, who hadn't been paying attention to proceedings, jumped up and pulled out a tranquilizer gun. Ted's smile disappeared and he backed up. Dan's face lit up.

"Shoot him! Shoot him! Shoot him!" Dan cheered Ian on.

"What was that for?" Ian demanded with Dan still chanting in the backround.

"Shut up Dan! That was my dare. Don't kill me!" Ted said, quaking. Ian relaxed his posture and lowered the gun. He sat down as Ted took a deep breath and returned the nerf gun to the machine.

"Um, Ned. Truth or dare?"

"Dare. Truths are no fun."

"I dare you to… jump up and down while saying 'I'm a pink fluffy star over and over." Hamilton snorted and Nora laughed. Dan looked delighted as he pulled out his iPod's video camera. _This is going to be so awesome._ Ned stood up and wobbled onto solid ground.

"I'm a pink fluffy star, I'm a pink fluffy star," he chanted, jumping simultaneously; but after a few minutes, he had to stop, as he was laughing too hard to jump. Dan was egging him on. Everyone was laughing and having a good time.

After Ted agreed he was done and Ned sat back down, Dan noticed he was breathless. Ned pointed at Madison and tried to talk.

"Truth… or… dare?" he panted.

"Dare," she replied carelessly. He thought as he caught his breath.

"I dare you to wear one of Natalie's dresses." Natalie's face glowed as she looked at Madison. This was going to be trouble.

"Ohh, I wonder which one will look best." Sinead had Natalie push a button on the wall. When she did, the slide reformed into stairs.

"We'll wait for you," Amy called after the retreating girls' backs. Right before she disappeared up the stairs, Madison shot a pleading look behind her. The rest of the group just shook their head. No one in their sane mind would mess with Natalie. That is, besides Dan. But he was a completely different category.

Nora grinned. She was enjoying watching everyone laughing and joking. She knew she would have to prove herself in order to fit in, as these people had already been through so much together.

Nora and Reagan were the only ones left, and she was nervous. She had seen how well these dares had been suited to the person and wondered what she would end up with. She decided not to worry about it and turned to talk to Reagan and Sinead.

"Hello," she said as she shifted into a more comfortable position.

"Hey," they replied simultaneously.

"Sinead, your dare was…" Nora started to say.

"Disgusting," interrupted Reagan.

"I was going to say 'interesting.'" Nora smiled and faced Sinead. "What would you say Sinead?"

"Unexpected," she mumbled, embarrassed. Nora leaned closer and when she started whispering, Reagan leaned in too.

"Do you like him?" she whispered, trying to keep her voice from carrying. Sinead stared at her hands as she tried to reply.

"I don't… I think… I think so," she finally admitted. To Nora, it looked like this might be the first time she confessed this to herself as well as to someone else. Suddenly, she looked a Reagan pleadingly.

"Don't tell him _please_, don't tell anyone." She begged. They both agreed. _Probably_, Nora thought deviously. She clapped her hands and a delightful smile appeared on her face. Everyone looked towards them, and then went back to their original conversations.

"What was that for?" Sinead hissed.

"This is perfect! You like him, he likes you!" Nora whisper-squealed.

"What makes you think Hamilton likes her?" Reagan protested. She glanced at Sinead. "No offense."

"You should've seen him earlier. When Sinead suggested a plan and someone protested, he started defending her. He went on and on how amazing she was. " Sinead blushed as she recalled the memory.

The girls had changed to a different subject and were still talking when Madison descended the stairs. She was wearing a light blue dress that didn't look bad on her.

"How long do I have to wear this?" she moaned. Ned thought for a moment.

"Until the end of the game," he decided. Madison sighed in relief. She sat down uncomfortably and turned to Nora.

"Let's get this over with. Truth or dare?"

"Truth." Madison wasn't ready.

"Um, do you like sports?" Nora shrugged. This was an easy one.

"Volleyball is my favorite. Swimming is alright too." Madison nodded, relieved. Nora wasn't sure if it was the answer or that the game was almost over.

"Your turn." Nora turned to Reagan. The younger girl met her gaze solidly.

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Reagan replied. Amy noticed Nora's face was thoughtful. "What's your favorite stronghold? Mine's Madagascar." Reagan hesitated.

"Probably Victoria Falls. Madison and I always drop things down and see if they're still intact at the bottom." Reagan smiled at the memory.

"They never are," Madison put in.

"Nope," Reagan agreed as Amy's phone rang. She stood up and wobbled to the edge of the squishy floor onto solid ground. She opened her phone without looking at caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hey kiddo. Can you let everyone know it's time to head up to their rooms?"

"'Kay Nellie. Sleep well."

"You too. Big day tomorrow," she said softly into the phone. They both laughed.

"Defiantly," Amy replied.

"Night."

"Night." Amy hung up and returned to the group. "Hey guys, time to head up. We finished just in time." One by one people trickled up the stairs, with Madison in the lead.

After she finished saying good night to Dan, she turned to survey the room. She wasn't surprised to see Ian in the corner looking at his bookshelf. He straightened up and faced her.

"You never did show us that guitar," he remarked, leaning against a door frame.

"It's just so I can practice for Janus c-class." She explained, cursing inwardly. Her stupid stutter hadn't shown itself in years, but being alone with Ian had caused it resurface. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't remark on it.

"Will you show me?" she nodded nervously. She picked it up and started strumming. She played a few chords and started a simple song. After she finished, he smiled and clapped. She noticed he was more relaxed and informal after the captives returned.

"Nice job," he complemented her. "How long have you been practicing?"

"A few weeks," she replied shyly. "I took piano lessons when I was younger, so I can read music."

"How have you been practicing for a few weeks when we found out over the weekend?" Ian probed.

"Actually, Nellie bought it for me and convinced me to try." She lifted a hand over mouth to try to stifle a yawn, but he noticed anyway.

"Forgive me. I didn't mean to keep you awake." He crossed the room to hand her something. It was her other guitar pick.

"Thanks," she said as she placed it on her bookshelf. She turned to him. "Good night Ian."

"Good night love." She blushed at the nickname.

"Ian! I thought you were over that!" she protested. He smiled and moved closer.

"Amy Cahill, you will never completely lose that nickname," he laughed. Her faced turned redder as she realized that their arms were touching and she could smell the light scent of his cologne.

"I… um, I…I k-know," Amy stuttered. His hand brushed a loose piece of hair off her face. She was frozen. Was he about to kiss her?

"Ian," she whispered under her breath, soft enough he couldn't hear her. His hand froze and he moved back anyway.

"Good night Amy," he called softly, heading back towards the staircase heading to his room. She listened to his footsteps fade away.

"Good night," she whispered to the empty room, before heading to bed herself.

**~What did you think? If you didn't like it please tell me in a constructive criticism way, not a flame.** **Thanks to all my reviewers and regular correspondents. Listen round for I am starting a contest. The person who finds the most spelling/grammatical mistakes will get a choice of prizes. I read and review one of your stories, I help you with editing as you helped me or something else (as long as it's reasonable.). It is completely legal to go back to other chapters. Thanks to anyone who helps. I will also list anyone who gives at least one edit at the beginning of the next chapter. I will hopefully go through and fix the errors you guys point out. The contest ends on January 7****th****. Here are helpful things to review:**

**-Whether you care if I do one point of view more often than others, or if they all should have equal turns.**

**- Any relationships you want me to emphasize in the next chapter.**

**That's actually it. I hope everyone had great holidays. Happy New Year! ~**


	11. School Starts

**~ I worked all weekend on this, so I hope you enjoy it. Sorry for any mistakes, I kinda rushed. Read, review and enjoy! ~**

Sinead stared at her ceiling, loath to get up. Her alarm had buzzed at six fifteen, so she could afford to relax.

She knew that Cahill School would be a cinch compared to Harvard, but she worried about all the Cahills together in one place. Eventually, there would be fighting or something would explode.

As she rolled over, the light from the alarm clock caught her eye. It was six twenty. She groaned and sat up. She grabbed the clothes she had picked out the night before and retreated into the bathroom. Once again she had to marvel at the bathroom. The white tiled floor and marble countertop went perfectly with the gold trim around the room. Sinead was surprised to see that all her usual shampoos and conditioner had been brought over from the guest house, where she had taken her shower yesterday.

She left the bathroom feeling refreshed. She checked the clock again and was pleased to see getting ready had only taken her twenty minutes. She went to her school bag and rifled through her folders and binders to make sure she wasn't missing anything. She had added gadgets all over it, such as lock picks in the zipper or the climbing rope in the straps.

After she was sure she was ready, she stretched and opened the door. She wasn't surprised that no one else was up yet. Breakfast wasn't until seven thirty, so she had a half an hour. She padded down the stairs and turned into her work room. After Sinead had destroyed the living room, Amy had converted a spare room into a lab that wouldn't explode if a level five hurricane blew through.

She went straight to the cub board and brought out her new idea to replace folders and binders. It was a touch tablet for taking notes. It had a full size keyboard on the screen and folders for each subject. Each folder had a place for homework and notes. The homework folder could be directly linked to the teacher's computer, so once your homework was finished in could be sent immediately. There was even an icon to view your current grades. This way, the only time they needed to use paper was for tests. The tablets also had extended battery life and took up less energy to run it. She had completed the first one; she just had to make sure the internet was working. She was giving the first one to Amy, as Amy gave her the idea.

She knew it would take only a few hours for each, now that the prototype was done and Ned and Ted could help her. Why, they could have the rest done in four days if they worked really hard! She already had all the parts, so she just had to put them together.

She grinned as the internet hooked up immediately. The tablet was ready for action. Which, she figured looking at her watch, should be about now. There was one more thing to take care of how ever. She walked over to cardboard box that she ordered yesterday. She opened it and pulled out a black cover with the Madrigal symbol on the back. She slipped it on and tucked in her bag.

This time when she noticed the doors were still all shut, she was surprised. She ran to Ted's room. She knocked and when no one answered, she walked in to find Ted still asleep. She crossed to his bed and shook him awake.

"Wah?" he mumbled, swatting away her hand.

"Ted, wake up. Breakfast is ready." His shot open.

"Really?" he sat up.

"I'm not sure," she admitted, "but I need you to wake up Dan and Ian." He groaned.

"What if Ian stabs me with a poison dart or something?" Sinead rolled her eyes.

"You'll live."

"That's the point! I won't!" Even as he said this though, he was rolling out of bed. She left and repeated the same process with Ned. After getting him to promise to wake up Jonah and Hamilton, she walked back into the hall. All the girls except Reagan and Madison were already waiting.

"Hello everyone," Ian greeted the group as he walked out. Sinead was surprised to see a blush creeping onto Amy's face as she returned the greeting.

Eventually everyone emerged from their rooms. They straggled down the stairs to find Nellie and Fiske already feasting on pancakes. The boys immediately sat down and started wolfing the breakfast down, with the exception of Ian, who stared in disgust at his plate. Sinead sighed as she watched Dan notice his discomfort and pour half the bottle of the syrup bottle on Ian's plate. Nora quickly grabbed the bottle before it was empty. Amy sat down next to Sinead.

"Dan will be the death of me, I swear," Amy muttered. Sinead laughed at Amy's expression.

"Oh, Amy, remember a few weeks ago when you wished you had a computer for school? Here." Sinead pulled out the tablet and handed it to her. Amy took it and looked it over. She looked at Sinead in awe.

"You made this for me?" Sinead nodded. "It's amazing!"

"The power button is here." Amy pressed a button on the side and the screen flickered to life.

"Amy Cahill?" an automated voice droned. Amy turned to Sinead, startled.

"Just say yes to confirm." Sinead prodded.

"Yes," Amy told the computer.

"Please place your hand on the screen," the voice continued. Amy did so and the computer scanned her hand. By now everyone was watching. "Confirmed. Welcome Amy."

"Well, Miss Inventor, care to show me what it does?" Amy asked Sinead, still shocked.

Sinead proceeded to show her the school folders and icons. "That's it for school stuff, but I installed a few other things. There is a camera a microphone for taking pictures and videos, recording messages, or video chat. To turn the camera infrared, you push this button. The internet is connected to the Gideon. A document on the tablet contains passwords to all the branch databases." Ian started to protest, but Dan stopped him.

"You can get games and music too. There is a code breaker and electric pulses that will shock an enemy. It also has some normal applications like a calculator and GPS."

"Since when do normal computers have GPS?" Dan interjected.

"They should." Sinead stated. "And last but not least the chat room. That chat room is set up so only Cahills can use it. You can also change the setting. Most of the time, it will be on normal. That is for homework or just chatting. But I installed urgent setting. If you press that our tablet will flash red no matter what the battery charge and an alarm will go off. It also uses our GPS to track where you are so we can find you."

"What do you mean 'our tablets'?" Hamilton interrupted.

"You think I would only make two for Amy and me?" she demanded." Ned and Ted are going to help me make more. Any questions on the tablet?" The questions didn't come from Amy, but from everyone else. One question rang above the others.

"What can we do to help?" Everyone turned to Hamilton. "If you guys are making twelve, we should help a little." Sinead thought for a moment.

"Yeah, that would be nice. Anyone who wants to help come to my workshop after school."

"Speaking of school," Nellie interrupted, "you guys will be late if you don't hurry. Tomas class is by the pool." Everyone grabbed their bags and ran.

"Welcome!" boomed the teacher. "I'm Mr. Sanchez. I'll be your Tomas teacher." Hamilton, Reagan and Madison gasped.

"Mateo Sanchez? The soccer star who led his team to three championships straight?" Hamilton almost shouted. Mr. Sanchez nodded, pleased.

"OK, team. I have you forty minutes. So let's start with four laps around the yard. Go on." Everyone reluctantly started running. That is, besides the Holts, who started racing each other. Sinead fell in step with Amy. Because of their training, they were only a few yards behind the Holts. They kept pace with each other. When they finished, the Holts were still bursting with energy and everyone else was still running.

"Hamilton, can you go hurry them along?" Mr. Sanchez asked.

"Sure!" He eagerly dashed to the end of the line and started hounding Nora and Natalie. Amy turned to Mr. Sanchez.

"Will we ever have notes, homework or tests in this class?" Sinead doubted it.

"Not often," he replied, confirming her suspicions. "Any notes will be on form or Tomas files I decide to show you. Homework will be physical, along with tests. You might get one or two written tests throughout the year." Sinead's muscles groaned at the thought. _Maybe this won't be as easy as it appears._

After more laps, pushups, sit-ups, crunches, leg and arm lifts than she had ever done in her life, the class was drawing to a close.

"Gang, tomorrow we'll be swimming after a lap round the yard. When you get here, run a quick lap and be ready to get wet. Wait for me before you get in the water." Everyone quickly noticed this on their agendas or, in Amy's case, tablet.

Everyone jumped when a single bell sounded throughout the grounds. While following Mr. Sanchez's directions to the English room, Sinead found herself walking next to Hamilton. There was an awkward silence for a minute.

"What will you need me to do later?" he eventually asked.

"You're good with computers right?" he nodded. "So help putting parts together, checking for kinks, stuff like that." She soon got caught up in the conversation. They were talking about new innovations in computers as they reached to door. As Sinead crossed the threshold her foot caught on the step and she felt herself falling. She remembered her classes with Amy and twisted to land on her back. Hamilton quickly dropped to his knees as she hit the ground.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"Fine," she gasped through clenched teeth. "Just tripped." He offered his hand and she grabbed it. He pulled and she used the force to pull herself up. She only noticed how close she was after she caught her breath. When she looked up, his concerned face made her smile. It amazed her how much taller he was then her. She suddenly noticed that he was still holding her hand. He looked down and let go of her hand, but didn't move back.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep," she replied, trying to sound confident. "See?" She took a step and crumpled down. He grabbed her before she hit the floor.

"Here, lean on me." She laid arm around his neck and he an arm around her back. He helped her walk off the sprain. She was fine by the time they reached English.

"Thanks," she said as they walked inside. They sat down at the two remaining desks.

"What took you so long?" Amy hissed as the teacher walked in. Sinead waved her off.

"Later," she mouthed.

"Hello class!" the teacher called. She was a perky blonde woman. "I'm Mrs. Evans." Sinead watched Amy stiffen. "This year is just to insure that you can get through to collage. Though, you are Cahills. You should have no problem." Sinead's eyebrows rose as she realized this woman was a Cahill. "I'm a Janus, for you young ones who were wondering. This year's first assignment will be a report on the nonfiction book that I'm going to place on your desk. You will have tomorrow and Wednesday to work in class. The report is due before class Thursday. For today's class we will go over the guidelines for the year." The teacher continued to talk as she handed out the books. Sinead was thrilled to see that she had gotten a book on future inventions. This would be easy. As she looked around the room, Natalie had gotten a book on Gucci, Dan on ninjas and even rapping for Jonah. She smiled at Amy's face as she got a book on libraries. Amy was defiantly warming up to Mrs. Evans.

* * *

><p>Reagan was glad she had gotten a book on ballet, but it was so <em>long<em>. At least Mrs. Evans said the report didn't have to be too long.

Janus class was next. They wandered the halls until Ian noticed the Janus crest on the wall next to the class.

She had hardly sat down next to Madison when a young woman bustled in. She looked too young to be a teacher. "Hey guys. I'm Lan Nguyen, but you can call me Lan."

"Even though you're a teacher?" Ned called out. She smiled.

"Nah, I'm just the person Cora decided to send. I was thinking we could start with posters for your rooms. There are materials in the cabinet by the corner. Have fun." Everyone grabbed a piece of paper and started drawing. Twenty minutes later Lan was helping Dan with his ninja star and Madison was adding the finishing touch to her drawing.

"What do you think of my soccer ball?"

"That's what that is? I thought it was a polka dotted pillow," Reagan laughed. Madison elbowed her. So, of course, Reagan elbowed her back.

* * *

><p>After spilled glitter, broken paintbrushes, and splattered ink, Hamilton was ready to rest. Why didn't they just fill paint and glitter and shoot that at the Vespers? It would work just as well!<p>

Lunch was macaroni and cheese, homemade by Nellie. Thankfully, she far sight to make two pans. By the time lunch was over, the pans and plates were all scraped clean. Even Natalie and Ian had seconds. Hamilton started talking to Jonah about the classes.

"How was the Janus better than the Tomas?" Hamilton asked horrified. "No one was injured in Mr. Sanchez's class!"

"I don't know. My legs are disagreeing with that statement." Jonah said standing up. "Come on yo, we'll be late."

"How are you not preforming any concerts? If you're living here…" he trailed off.

"I probably will have to leave for the weekends and stuff. We'll deal somehow. My dad's got everything under control." They returned to the same room for as English for math.

A gruff man shuffled in. "I'm Professor Higgins. Please place these notes into your binders." Hamilton watched Sinead show Amy how to scan the paper onto her tablet as Professor Higgins passed out the papers. He turned to the notes and was relieved to see fractions. He peered closer and frowned. There were numbers and letters added in! He was confused already.

* * *

><p>After the math course, Ian sighed. He stood up and walked to the door across from the Janus room, with the Lucian crest next to it. He had been distracted all day. He had almost kissed her. She was so sweet, so shy, so lovely. Why hadn't he? Deep down, he knew the answer. If she hadn't forgiven him after Evan, she probably wasn't going to forgive him. He decided the best thing to do was to let her decide. If she wanted him, he would be there. It wasn't the most Kabra thing to do, but he could live with that.<p>

He was so deep in thought he almost ran into someone.

"Watch where you're go- Alana? Is that you?" The Lucian nodded at him.

"Ian. It's nice to see you," she replied stiffly.

"The same to you," he said in a curt tone. He looked around. "Are you our Lucian teacher?"

"Yes, I am. I'm sure you will excel in this course."

"Of course." He sat down in the middle of the desks. He didn't want to admit it, but Alana scared him a little bit. The rest of the class filed in. Natalie was much more excited to see Alana than he was.

"Well class, I am Ms. Flores. First in Lucian class we will work on code breaking." She explained a few simple codes before handing out papers. "Complete these and compare with a neighbor." A few minutes later, Ian finished and switched with Natalie. He skimmed it and, of course, it was all correct. By the time everyone else finished however, he was on the third chapter of his book for English. Alana took the papers back and handed them a different packet, with fifteen different problems.

"This is due tomorrow. No excuses," she told them. Ian knew that all the homework would be done.

Victor Wood was already mixing things when Sinead walked into the Ekat room. It was almost an exact replica of her workroom. She walked up to him. "What are you working on?" she asked, curious. He removed his lab goggles before replying.

"Don't know. I'm just mixing stuff," he responded. The test tube's liquid began to bubble. "Hit the ground!" Victor and Sinead both ducked as the potion exploded. Amy rushed in with the rest of the class behind her.

"Everything's fine guys," Sinead assured them. After they sat down the class took the same pattern as the others. They started working on inventing once the talking was done. She gained permission from Mr. Wood to use the tablets as her project.

Study hall was in the living room. Ian and Amy sat next to each other on the couch, with him explaining the codes. Jonah, Nora, Reagan, Madison, Ned and Ted were all reading in beanbags. Natalie was seated in a red chair by the TV, also working on codes. Dan was making paper airplanes and throwing them at Natalie. Sinead noticed Hamilton staring blankly at a piece of paper. She walked over to him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, easing herself down next to him.

"I'm trying to think of something for Ekat class," he explained. She nodded, then thought of something and jumped up.

Mr. Wood was still in the class when she ran in.

"Mr. Wood, could Hamilton Holt help me with the tablets as his project too?" He thought as he added another chemical.

"That Tomas? Why?" She shrugged.

"He's good with computers, and he already offered to help me before class." Mr. Wood nodded.

"Why not? If you finish early though, you might think of making them for the teachers as well, if you are both working on it."

"Thanks!" she called as she jogged back to the living room. She wasn't sure, but she thought she heard an explosion behind her.

"This is great!" Hamilton enthused. "Thanks Sinead."

"No problem. I'm going to work you like a dog though," she warned him.

"I can live with that." He pulled out the completed codes and walked into the Lucian room. Mrs. Flores looked up.

"Yes?" He swallowed before responding.

"I finished this and wanted to turn it in." She took it from him.

"Thank you Hamilton. You may go." He couldn't get out fast enough.

Amy sat down, wondering who the Madrigal trainer would turn out to be. She was technically the leader, but she hadn't met many of the agents. Five minutes after the class had supposed to start, Nellie walked in.

"Hey kiddos."

"Nellie? You're our teacher?" Dan's voice was edged with excitement and disbelief.

"Yep. So today, we are working on teamwork. Form two groups. Dan, Amy separate groups." Neither asked why and went to opposite sides of the room. Dan's group consisted of Natalie, Ned, Ted, Reagan and Madison. Ian, Sinead, Hamilton, Nora and Jonah had all went to Amy's group. Nellie explained the rules.

"You must try to get the other team the wettest," she explained. They sent her confused looks and she elaborated. "You are having a water balloon fight. Each team gets twenty balloons. The team that gets the wettest loses. You cannot hit your teammates," she said, sending a meaningful glance at Natalie and Dan. She led the kids outside.

"Alright, you have five minutes to set up. Grab your bucket and start when you hear the whistle.

Ian immediately took charge. "We'll put Jonah as a decoy, with the rest of us hiding in the trees."

"Hey!" Jonah exclaimed. "Why can't you be the decoy?" They both started arguing. Amy cleared her throat.

"Guys…" no one heard her over the arguing.

"Guys!" she said more forcefully. They turned. "What if we tried..."

"Target spotted," Dan whispered to his wrist. Natalie rolled her eyes, at both Dan and Jonah. Jonah was just standing there in the open. This was an awful strategy. Natalie gave Reagan the signal to go.

"Attack!" Reagan screamed. They pelted Jonah with water, but soon saw balloons flying at them from all directions.

"It's a trap!" Natalie gasped through the water. "Jonah was a decoy!"

"Team, how many balloons left?" Dan called. Everyone was out. "Just run around and try to dodge them. No sense in prolonging this any further." Dan's team valiantly tried not get wet but failed.

As the other team slid down the trees, Dan picked up a water balloon that had not popped when it had hit the ground… and threw it at Natalie. When she glared at him, he shrugged.

"Might as well. We already lost." The opposing team surrounded them, but when Natalie looked Jonah was in still in the clearing. It wasn't until Jonah sauntered over and grabbed his jacket off the stick person did she realize they'd been tricked.

"You guys got pounded," Jonah said victoriously. The wet team walked sullenly back with the older kids celebrating behind them.

**Thanks to everyone for reading. Please review. It helps me a lot to read your comments. Please tell me if I am OOC so I can fix it. I tried to do better with Sinead. I'll update the 18****th****, but I'm not sure how soon after that. I'm going through to reread and fix some mistakes. Thanks again! ~**


	12. Paint Beetles

**Hello! I was planning to update this on Wednesday, my birthday, but I couldn't wait any longer. Thanks to all my reviewers and favoriters. A few notes: I'm changing this to a Hamead fic, as they are probably my favorite pairing at the moment, but I will still have Amian. I'm also changing the rating to T. But anyway, read and review, it means a lot!**

Sinead was working on the next tablet in her workroom when she heard a disturbance behind her. She turned to find Hamilton wincing at the noise and saw a test tube on the ground.

"You're lucky these things are shatterproof," she told him as she picked it up. She laid it on a table and led him over to a workspace. "Your job is to put these parts together." Sinead gave him to a pile of wires and memory boards. "The instructions are there." She pointed to a blueprint. "Any question?"

"Nope." He started following the instructions on the paper. Sinead watched him for a minute. After making sure that he knew what he was doing, she restarted the tablet in her workspace. They worked silently for more than half an hour. All of a sudden, he stood up, stretched and walked over with the half-complete tablet in his hands.

"How's this so far?" She took it from him and looked it over.

"This is prefect!" she said, impressed. "Do you want me to finish this and you can start a new one or do you want to complete it?" He didn't respond for a moment.

"You can. I don't want to mess it up now. I'll start another." He shuffled back to his work spot. This time they kept up a stream of chatter, talking about siblings, braches and teachers.

"I totally agree you about Mrs. Flores. But Mr. Sanchez? He's the second nicest, not the second scariest!"

"Are you kidding? The work today could be classified as cruel and unusual punishment!" Sinead cried.

"Fine, he may not have been the easiest teacher, but not the scariest! What about Professor Higgins? He seems creepy." The teens continued to argue as Sinead finished the next tablet and started the one Hamilton gave her.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, they took a break. They had completed two more, so three total tablets were done. Sinead considered this to be a little less than a miracle. Almost as soon as Sinead sat down, her phone chimed, signaling that she had received a text. She pulled out her phone and scrolled to the message.<p>

"Hey Hamilton?" He picked his head off the table.

"Yeah?"

"Grab your bag. The others want us to join them in the meeting center to do homework," Sinead said as she stood up herself, slinging her bag over her shoulder. He did the same, and they walked up the stairs leading to the bedrooms.

"Do you want to go through my room? It's closer," suggested Sinead uncomfortably. He nodded.

"Sure." She was glad she had cleaned her room the night before as they entered. She saw him scrutinize the room as she walked over and lifted the rug. She opened the trapdoor and gestured.

"After you." He smiled as he swung himself down the tunnel. She counted to ten, and then followed, hoping she gave him enough time.

* * *

><p>Ian had been the latest to arrive, besides Sinead and Hamilton. Everyone was spread out across various spots. He was sitting next to Natalie. Everyone was still working on homework, including Dan this time, much to everyone's suprise. By the time Hamilton had slid down, Ian had had finished code breaking during study hall, math and another two chapters of English.<p>

Ian had just looked up as Sinead shot out of the chute onto Hamilton.

* * *

><p>Hamilton's arms instinctively went around her waist to steady her as she fell. She did stop moving forward; the plan actually backfired as she fell onto of him. He let go and she quickly stood. Sinead held out her hand to help him up. Well, tried to anyway. She pulled while he laid there like a rock, smirking. She eventually rolled her eyes and toted her book bag to sit over by Amy.<p>

After checking that no one was listening, Amy immediately started questioning Sinead.

"Why were you late to English?" she probed.

"I tripped." Sinead replied.

"Why was Hamilton late with you?" Amy questioned further. Sinead looked furtively over her shoulder before leaning in.

"I…tripped," she whispered secretively before leaning back. "He just stopped to help me. I don't know what's so hard to understand about that." Amy sighed.

"Whatever. I can see I'm not getting an answer. What homework are you working on?"

"I gave you an answer. It just wasn't the one you wanted to hear. I'm on math. I finished code breaking." Amy smiled.

"Same!" They both started scribbling equations and such, stopping to compare answers. By dinner, most everyone was completed with math and code breaking. Dinner was just in time too. Everyone was starving.

* * *

><p>Dan was bouncing in his seat as he waited for the steak to be done. He was disgusted with Hamilton at the moment, so he sat next to Jonah and Nora. Hamilton was almost as bad as Amy at hiding that he liked someone, and that person was obviously Sinead. Thankfully, Sinead was pretty oblivious when it came to nonacademics.<p>

Dan quickly grabbed his eating utensils as the food finally arrived. As he dug into the mashed potatoes, he decided love was stupid. It makes people do idiotic things, like trusting a Cobra. Oops, a Kabra. Amy had been so depressed after Korea. Dan had no clue why people willingly submitted themselves to that.

Depressing thoughts aside, he was in a good mood as he went up to his room to hang out. He had acutally finished his homework with help from Ned and Ted. Though they were older then him, they were still pretty cool. He stared at the ceiling on his bed for a few minutes before finally grabbing a blank piece of paper to start brainstorming.

-a samurai robot with ninja powers.

-a webcam and microphone disguised as earrings. (Easier to spy on older sister.)

-those awesome contacts you see in movies but haven't been invented yet.

Dan decided to choose the middle one, just so he could keep check on Kabra. If Ian hurt her one more time, Dan was going to set Fiske on him. And by extension, the whole Madrigal branch. He decided to sketch them out and was working hard when the door burst open. Ned and Ted came in, Ted holding something in his hands, though Dan couldn't see what.

"Want to see our project for Ekat class?" Dan was confused.

"I thought it was a single person project," Dan quizzed. They nodded.

"It was, but he already made a pardon for us and Sinead and Hamilton. He'll probably let you pick if you work with someone tomorrow. Anyway, wanna see?" Ned asked. Dan nodded and Ted opened his cupped hands. Inside was a little beetle scuttling around. "Paint beetle," explained Ned. "Set a timer and they will explode, splattering paint everywhere."

"Clever," Dan remarked. They boys decided not to do a demo, so the Starlings left, leaving Dan deep in thought. A partner would be useful but who? Hamilton, Ned, Ted and Sinead were already working on something. Ian or Amy would ruin his plan. Reagan, Madison, and Jonah didn't have the skills needed. That left Natalie and Nora. The only problem was Nora seemed too… honest.

That left Natalie. In a way, it made sense. She was his age. Her brother was his target, along with Amy. She knew fashion, so she knew what to make it look like. She also had a devious streak that would be useful. Finally, she was close to Ian. That would benefit the final step. He grinned. After all, it would be weird for Dan to give Ian earrings for Amy.

**Any suggestions? I'm sorry if it's awful, I'm really tired. Anyway, please review on:**

**-Any ideas for projects, moments, anything you want to see.**

**-Do you think I am focusing too much on the sixteen-year-olds?**

**-Any grammar. I went through it, so I hope it's better than the other chapters.**

**-opinions of how you like it so far. **

**Anything else! You guys are always so supportive. It means a lot. I am joining the beta reader community, so wish me luck! But I might take a while to update. I'm going through and fixing the mistakes you pointed out. Thanks again! **

**P.S. The Tomas and Madrigals will get you if you don't review.**


	13. Class, Drama and Romance, Oh My!

**Yay! I'm finally updating! I'm so sorry for the wait! School kept me really busy. A special thanks to amianfan12 for giving me ideas for this! I won't keep you any longer than to say I don't own 39 clues!**

Dan walked into Ekat class, shifting nervously. He didn't notice girls, so he had no clue how Natalie would react if he asked her to help him. He sat down with the rest of the class, waiting for Mr. Wood to arrive. The teachers here never seemed to be on time, not that Dan minded. When he finally arrived, only the Ekats were unsurprised at seeing his disheveled clothing and harried look. He looked like he had been up all night working on something, which in fact, he had.

"Calm down everyone. How many people have started their project?" Mo one raised their hand besides Dan, the Starlings, and Hamilton. Mr. Wood interrupted Dan's thoughts.

"For those who aren't already aware of this, I am allowing everybody _one_ partner. It is not required, but it's recommended. You might manage to get a better project done faster. You get today to pick partners and work in class, but after that you will work on your own time. A working model will be due in a week. Any questions?" He looked around, and everyone shook their heads, eager to start.

Dan took a deep breath as the class dispersed around the room. Natalie was sitting at her table, shifting through her custom-made Vera Bradley backpack. She pulled out a piece of lined paper and started writing as Dan awkwardly sat on the seat across from her.

"Hey Nat," he said as he fidgeted. She looked up and glared at him.

"My name is Natalie, Daniel." He scolded himself silently. He needed Natalie. He had to be polite.

"I'm sorry Natalie." He grinned at her surprised expression. "What? Surprised?" She composed her features quickly.

"Of course. I didn't think there was an ounce of decorum in your blood," she replied stiffly. He laughed, and a smile flitted across her face. He though she was prettier when she smiled, but wasn't about to tell her so. He didn't feel like being slapped. Her smile disappeared almost as fast as it appeared however.

"Anyway," Dan started, "I wondered if you would, um, help me with, you know, the project." She was silent for a moment.

"Daniel, you hate me. Why, out of everyone in this room did you pick me?" she asked, her voice curious.

"You're the only one who wouldn't ruin my plan, and you might just be useful." Her head tilted, and he nervously watched as she considered his statement.

"Let's hear this plan of yours," she resolved. "I'll decide afterwards." So Dan told her his entire plan, after swearing her to secrecy of course.

"Then, you'll give Ian the earrings to give to Amy. We'll be able to spy on them as long as Amy's wearing the earrings." Natalie grinned evilly.

"I'll give you credit Daniel. This is genius. Enough blackmail to raise my allowance by a few million pounds! Anyway, what will the cameras connect to? Will there be two spots?" Dan held up his hands interrupting her, much to Natalie's displeasure.

"Does this mean you're in?" Dan asked hopefully.

"Of course. This is the perfect chance to humiliate Ian. Spying on him and Amy will allow me to collect my revenge for him not letting me host that ball last month." With that, Natalie skillfully took over, adding to the design plans. He watched as she redesigned the earring in accordance with the newest fashion and adjusting the technology accordingly. Miraculously, the design was planned out by the end of class. They showed it to Mr. Wood, and he approved it immediately.

"Great idea. Tell me if you need any help." Natalie smiled and Dan bobbed his head up and down.

He spent the rest of class looking at the pairs and ideas. Ian and Jonah had joined surprisingly, as well as Amy and Nora. Less surprisingly, the Holt twins were also working on something.

The rest of the day passed by as a blur, more homework piling up as the day passed. Soon he was standing in the last class of the day. Nellie sat at the desk, reading over a piece of paper.

"Hey kiddos. Sit anywhere." the kids followed her instructions, and sat tables separating the sixteen year olds from the others. After everyone was situated, Nellie grabbed the papers and stood up.

"So, apparently, we can't just play games to bring us together, we actually have to sit and learn stuff." Everyone groaned at the prospect of another boring lesson.

"However, we can do it sometimes," Nellie said, eyes gleaming. "So today, we are going to a team ropes course. Everyone pair up with someone and stand by the wall. "

Ian sauntered over towards Amy. Why better way to finally get her to trust him than partnering up with her? She saw him walking and faced the other direction. He continued forward undaunted and tapped her shoulder. Her shoulders slumped in defeat as she turned around with a resigned look on her face.

"Yes Ian?" He knew she was too polite to turn him down, and he used that to his advantage.

"Would you like to be my partner?" Ian asked smoothly. She sighed as she nodded her head. He reached for her hand, but she turned and walked toward the wall. Rage jolted through him, but he calmed down, knowing she didn't trust him. It turned to rejection as he joined her.

"Love, that wasn't very polite," Ian whispered in her ear as Nellie helped the younger kids agree to teams.

"Neither is throwing someone to sharks, but that didn't seem to stop you," she shot back. Ian let out an exasperated sigh.

"I thought we were over this," he grumbled.

"What? Just because I'm a madrigal I have to forgive and forget?" she stormed.

"Why now?" Ian asked, confused. "You were fine with me during the kidnapping."

"You weren't trying to make me fall for you again so you could break my heart!" she stormed, trying to keep her voice down. From the stares the class was aiming at them, Ian could tell it wasn't working.

"Love, I'm sorry. For Korea, for Australia and everything else! What more do I have to say?" She hesitated, and then her shoulders slumped.

"I don't know." He took in her saddened expression and thought of something.

"Love, can you put up with me until Saturday?" She paused, conflict written all over her face, but she eventually nodded. He smiled, pleased. "Meet me at the hammock on Saturday at 11 am. Alright?" She nodded, slightly confused.

The drama ended as Nellie finally took them outside and they started to work.

Hamilton met Sinead after Madrigal training, and they resumed working. They worked diligently until dinner, keeping up a constant stream of chatter. Eventually the talked turned to Amy and Ian.

"That was so dramatic," Hamilton laughed as he put the finishing touches on a tablet. Sinead hurried to defend her best friend.

"It wasn't her fault! He was being a complete jerk!" Hamilton chuckled.

"He did come up with a good solution though," Hamilton said as he took his completed tablet to Sinead. He reached up to stack the tablet with the others on the shelf above them. He was standing right next to her when she whispered.

"It was sweet, wasn't it?" He lowered his arm from the shelf as she turned to him. He instinctively leaned forward, and she mirrored his actions. She was so close to him. Then…

"Hey guys, it's almost dinner time… oh." Amy retreated from the room with wide eyes as she realized what she had walked in on. They both blushed and Sinead started to get packed up. Hamilton rushed out as fast as he could. He didn't notice when Sinead smiled softly as she locked the door and followed him downstairs.

**Well another chapter done. I'll probably update over vacation, but no promises. Anyway, please review telling me:**

**- How are the characters? Too OOC?**

**-Should I do the whole day with every class, like two chapters ago or just the important classes, like this chapter?**

**- Any CC or feedback. Regular comments are welcomed too!**

**So please review! Oh and thanks to everyone. I haven't updated in weeks yet not one day went by where I got zero visitors! I love you guys! Kahillkid5 out!**


	14. Saturday Morning

**Hey everyone. First off, I'm so sorry for not updating in forever. School, you know? Anyway, this defiantly isn't my best chapter, but I really wanted to get something on here for you guys. This chapter is dedicated to luverinreadin. Thank you so much for the corrections. It means a lot! I'll fix them as soon as I have time.**

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><p>Natalie sat up on Saturday morning and rubbed her eyes before heading to the shower. She was supposed to meet Daniel later to work on their Ekat project. She looked at the clock on her way to the bathroom and smiled. It was eight o'clock. The perfect time for a Saturday morning.<p>

When she finally finished getting ready she gracefully lifted her bag before heading to the kitchen. She guessed he would most likely be getting breakfast. Her suspicions were correct and she found Dan and Hamilton cracking up at the table. The room was empty besides for them. Natalie guessed everyone else cleared out or were still sleeping. She sighed before grabbing a plate and sitting down.

"What's wrong Nat, not happy to see us?" Dan teased. She ignored him and looked back down at her plate. Her head snapped back up when she heard something whistle past her. She turned to see some scrambled egg on the floor behind her. She slowly turned around and glared devilishly at them.

"Who threw that?" They both cowered in their seats at her gaze. She pulled out her dart gun and aimed it at them. "Answer me."

"It was Dan," Hamilton said quickly. "Don't hurt me!" Natalie turned her gun onto Dan.

"Thanks dude," Dan grumbled before he dashed out of the room.

"Daniel Arthur Cahill! Get back here!" She chased him back up the stairs towards the students' bedrooms and Amy stepped out.

"What's going on?" she demanded, stopping Natalie.

"I'm trying to kill Daniel, obviously. Now let me go," Natalie retorted, struggling against Amy's grip.

"Don't kill Dan," Amy sighed. "You don't know how much paperwork the Madrigals will have to fill out." Natalie ignored her and continued struggling. "What can I do to make you stop chasing Dan?" Amy finally asked. Natalie paused.

"Will you let me help you pick out your clothes for your date with my brother? We both know you need the help. No offense," she added at Amy's glare. Amy hesitated, looking for any other solution. She sighed as she nodded, defeated. Natalie squealed as she ran inside the room, leaving Amy grumbling behind her.

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><p>Amy followed Natalie inside the room. She sat down on the bed and sighed as Natalie rummaged through her closet. Oh, Dan owed her big time.<p>

"Do you ever wear anything I get you? This still has the tags on it," Natalie commented, brandishing a light green sundress. Amy didn't respond. Natalie returned to rummaging through the wardrobe as a knock came at the door.

"Amy? Do you know where Natalie went?"

"I'm in here Daniel," Natalie called out to him.

"Are you going to kill me?"

"Of course not." Dan hesitated a second before asking another question.

"When do you want to work on the project?" Natalie bit her lip as she found yet another pair of sweatpants. She threw them aside as she answered.

"Meet me at four outside my room. We can work on it then." At this answer, Amy heard Dan's steps clatter down the hallway. She turned as Natalie spoke.

"There," she said, pleased. Amy found white shorts, a jade T-shirt, and matching flip flops laid out on the bed.

"Thanks Natalie," Amy said gratefully as she picked up the clothes. _That wasn't too bad_, she thought as she glanced at the clock. She was astonished to realize it was nine twenty. "I better hurry!"

"Can I do your makeup?" Natalie asked, following her around the room.

"Nope. Sorry Natalie," Amy responded over her shoulder.

Out of the corner of her vision, she saw Natalie slip out of the room as Amy grabbed everything she needed for her date with Ian.

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><p>Dan grinned as he adjusted the video cameras. He had planted the cameras out by the hammock and was planning to find out where Ian was taking Amy, and then follow them. He had finished getting the picture set up. He just needed to wire the sound. All of a sudden, someone cleared their throat behind him. He whirled around to see Natalie standing there with her hands on her hips.<p>

"How did you get in here?" he asked irritably.

"The door was wide open. Daniel, what are you doing?" He remained silent as she took in the pictures on the screen behind him.

"You're spying on our siblings?" she asked in dangerously low voice. He nodded quickly, not daring to look at her.

"And you didn't think to invite me?" He stared in excited disbelief as she sat next to him. "After all, I am a Lucian."

"You'll help me?" he asked in shock.

"I prefer to call it working with you. Otherwise, it sounds like I'm doing you a favor," Natalie replied as she bent over the wires.

They began to work setting up the sound system. They worked quickly between the two of them, but they finished just as Ian sauntered into view by the hammock. He sat as Natalie and Dan grinned at each other. Dan was astonished at how pretty Natalie was when she smiled. An actual smile, that is. Not one of her scary smiles. Those are just awful.

He came back down from his musings as Amy entered the screen and sat down next to Ian.

"You ready Dan?" Natalie asked as she put her headphones on. He nodded and did the same. It's game time.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! You know the drill. Read and Review! My two favorite words. Anyway please review with whatever you want but these two would be especially helpful.<strong>

**-Please review telling the world 39 clues**_** is **_**real. No one believes me!**

**-Also tell me if you hate Jake as much as I do. Which is a lot.**

**You guys are amazing. Thanks so much for sticking with me throughout this! The next chapter will be Amy and Ian's date. Any ideas for the date please PM me! Bye!**


	15. Amian date!

**Hey guys! Thanks to everyone for reviewing! I can't believe I got over 100 reviews! I updated really faster this time, so I hope you guys are happy. Thanks to amianfan102 for her help on this. She's the best Amian writer I know, and she made this a lot better. Anyway, this is all fluff. Pure Amian fluff. Enjoy!**

Amy felt her heart pounding as she laid down in the hammock. She was even afraid for a second Ian could hear it beating. He said nothing at first, obviously content with just lying back on the hammock, his eyes closed. She noticed that he was, of course, impeccably groomed as always. She began to relax just as he spoke.

"I'm surprised you showed up, love," he commented, his eyes still not opening.

"I promised to come, so I did," Amy replied. She knew by now not to protest the nickname. He had refused her pleas to stop during the week. She still reddened whenever he said it though. He made no comment, deep in thought as she laid next to him, arms barely touching.

"Do you trust me**,** Amy?" he asked**,** so quietly she almost missed it. This time, Amy was the silent one. She mulled over the past three years before answering. Everything he had done to her, both good and bad. Some things that could never be forgiven, only accepted. And other occurrences that made her smile at the mere thought.

"Yes." She finally replied.

He turned to her. "Good. Love, I need you to trust me for a few minutes." Ian said as he brought out a silk blindfold.

"Are you crazy? What are you doing with that?" Amy asked, nervous as to where this could be headed.

"Trust me. The surprise will be better if you just go along with it." Ian told her, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Ian sighed in relief. He wasn't sure Amy would go along with his idea. He had a backup plan, but it wasn't as good as this.

Amy had let his carefully tie the blindfold around her eyes and reached her hands out as her sight disappeared. He took her hand and was amused to see yet another blush appear on her cheeks.

He led her to a limo he had waiting in the driveway. Ian had told Fiske his plan, so everyone knew he wasn't kidnapping her. That is, except for Amy. She cautiously got in after Ian, feeling the seats and doors, trying to figure out where she was. Ian smiled in amusement at the sight of her reaching blindly around. It was rather…cute. He was leading her, and he knew she had no clue where she was.

"Love, you're in my limo. Don't worry. Relax." Her grip on his hand loosened as she took a deep breath.

"When am I going to be able to take this off?" she inquired, her voice quavering. He was almost tempted to give in at her nervoustone, but he didn't.

"Only a few more minutes. We're almost there." He was relieved when the limo pulled up to their destination and he was able to escape the confinement of the car. He filled with energy at with what he was about to do.

"Come on love," he encouraged, pulling her behind him.

"Ian!" she laughed. "Slow down! I can't see, remember?" He slowed his pace, but still walked quickly towards a hedge. As Amy couldn't see it, Ian had to push the branches away so she could make her way through. He stepped behind her and removed the blindfold, slowly, drawing out the action to make it seem more dramatic.

Amy gasped as she beheld the breathtaking scene before her.

A brook meandered its way along most of the hedge, with the exception of the place in the hedge where they entered. Flowers were still in bloom here, but colorful leaves decorated the clearing. And in the middle stood an old, gnarledoak tree protecting a wicker basket on top of a red and white checkered blanket. Birds were chirping in the trees, and the brook babbled as it drifted by. Amy turned to Ian, her eyes alight with happiness.

"Ian, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. He laughed at her excitement and watched as she twirled towards the blanket, just like she did three years ago in Korea. He felt his heart grow heavy at the thought of what he had done to her, and what he and Amy could've had today if he hadn't had left her. He was distracted from his thoughts by Amy calling to him.

"Come on, slowpoke!" she giggled, dizzy from all the spinning. He hurried over to the blanket and joined her in opening basket. Ian was pleased at the surprise on her face beholding their lunch. Ian had enlisted Sinead's help and packed a normal American lunch, not his usual gourmet meal. The lunch contained peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, juicy-juice boxes, apples, and some brownies homemade by Nellie for dessert.

They talked together about school, family life, hobbies and many other things in their lives as they ate their lunch. Ian was actually genuinely interested in Amy. She made stories funny and was eager to talk about anything and everything. She was explaining about Dan's latest misadventure as Ian took out the brownies, waving them enticingly in her face. Amy tensed slightly, having an idea. Quickly, she grabbed the brownies, kicked off her flip-flops, and ran across the brook, splashing the water everywhere.

Ian chased after her, but when he reached the river, he realized he had no way across. Unlike Amy, he had worn pants, and the brook was wide enough that he couldn't jump it and deep enough to go up to his knees. His eyes wandered around the clearing behind him, looking for something to use to cross. His gazed landed on a dead log that lay tossed off to the side.

He walked over and managed to muscle it over to the brook and lay it across. He grinned in triumph and started to walk across it, sure that he was about to outsmart Amy. He became unnerved by the fact shewasn't moving away from shore with her prize, and within a second of realizing this, he heard a groan from the log as a crack formed at the bottom. He quickly jumped over to the other shore as it snapped and floated away.

Amy laughed as she opened the tin and handed him a brownie. He took it gracefully and together they quickly demolished the batch. She sat down and set her feet into the water and Ian copied her example. After a comfortable silence, Amy spoke.

"Ian, why did you invite me here?" she asked, still gazing at the running water. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

"I wanted to show you why I keep approaching you in class. Amy, you're an amazing girl and I would like to spend more time to get to know you."

"Good answer," she replied. She moved closer and took his hand. He finally looked up from the rushing water.

"Amy, will you be my girlfriend?" Ian asked impulsively. The famed red returned to her cheeks as she nodded vigorously.

"Of course," she replied shyly.

"You have no idea how long I have waited to hear you say that," he whispered as he leaned in to share their second kiss.

**What did you think? Please review. It makes me really happy. Anyway, the request is the same as last chapter. Please help me prove to the world 39 clues is real! Thanks to the two people who've already supported me. Please leave any comments you wish. Hey anon? I'm glad you told me what you thought of Nora, but can you tell me what I can do to make her better? Thanks everyone! Adios! Review please!**


	16. Authors note

**~Hey guys! So, I'm on break now, so I'll probably update at least once more this week. Anyway, it's short but I hope you like it. Please read the authors note. Enjoy!~**

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><p>Amy blushed as Ian opened the car door for her when they arrived at the house. She took his hand as they started walking toward the mansion, only to be intercepted by Natalie and Dan.<p>

"Where did you take her?" Dan asked Ian accusingly. "Why didn't you tell her?"

"Why do you care?" Ian asked.

"We couldn't follow you!" Dan complained. Natalie turned to Dan.

"Fantastic. Great job_ completely_ giving us away." She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes as Amy turned on her brother.

"You were _spying_ on us?" she demanded. Dan cowered backwards at her furious face. "What power made you so important you could spy on us? Daniel Arthur Cahill, you are in _so_ much trouble," Amy raged as she took her brothers arm. She then proceeded to roughly drag him into the house.

Ian turned to Natalie. "You didn't think to ask Fiske?" She shrugged.

"We did, but he refused to answer us. By the way," she commented as she turned towards the house. "A blindfold? Really?" She left before Ian could retort.

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><p>The group of teens lay relaxing down in the gathering room, enjoying their Saturday night. Everyone was either reading, doing homework, or quietly talking, just enjoying the peace after a hectic week. Eventually, Amy turned from her book to face Sinead.<p>

"We're going to have a long year aren't we?" Sinead nodded solemnly before grinning.

"And it's only just beginning."

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><p><strong>~Alright, I know that was an awful, short chapter, but truly, it was just so, one, I got Natalie and Dan's reactions out of the way, and two, so I wouldn't feel bad about this huge authors note. If you feel you must flame me for this chapter, go ahead.<strong>

**Truthfully? I need a consistent beta reader. Badly. If anyone can help me, I would be really grateful. Now I have sixteen chapters on here. I would feel awful make one poor person read all that. So if I get multiple offers, I might have someone do one chapter, and the other do another until I get it all covered, when I'll just have one. So if you're interested, please review or PM me.**

**Also, what Sinead said at the end of the chapter was true. I'm on chapter sixteen and there are ten months of school left to cover. I'm thinking about changing it so for the rest of September through May, I have experts from several days. The chapters will be longer, but I only cover important matters throughout each month. Then in June is when the action starts up again, so I'll go back to full chapters. Does that sound alright? Thanks to anyone who actually read that and is about to review or PM me with their opinion. Au revior!~**


	17. The Rest of September

**~ I updated early! Enjoy! ~**

September

Hamilton and Sinead grinned as they finished the last tablet. They set it down with the others before sitting down at the table Sinead had placed in the rooms for breaks. After a few minutes of content silence, Hamilton stood up.

"I'll be right back." She nodded as he left and reclined in her chair, enjoying the peaceful silence. She looked up when Hamilton reentered to see him with two cups in his hands. She watched, puzzled, as he set them down, but her puzzlement turned to laughter when she saw ice cream placed within.

"Thanks Hamilton. Couldn't wait to celebrate?" she teased as he took his place across from her. He smiled and shrugged, his mouth full of food.

"Of course not. We worked our butts off on those. Why shouldn't we celebrate?" She laughed again as they clinked their cups together before returning to devour their treat.

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><p>Dan could hardly contain his laughter as he watched Natalie hand Ian the earrings. He was so oblivious! Why would Natalie help him with Amy? Natalie made eye contact with Dan over Ian's shoulder, her eyes alight with mischief. Ian, of course, was too busy examining the earrings to notice.<p>

"You're sure Amy will like these?" he questioned for the umpteenth time.

"Of course. Who wouldn't love those?" Natalie replied. The earrings were like silver raindrops with emeralds inlayed in the middle. Dan had to admit, Natalie had done a fabulous job with the designing.

"Thanks Natalie," he said, finally accepting the gift. Natalie walked past him and turned the corner to join Dan. They managed to make it Natalie's room before breaking into peals of laughter.

"And our evil plan begins! Muahahaha!" Dan cackled once they calmed down a bit. Of course, that sent Natalie back into laughter.

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><p>Jonah's eyes widened as he sat down in Ms. Flores class. The bright red words 'turn in your homework' on the board sentenced him to doom. He had forgotten his homework in his room! He could see it in his mind's eye, sitting on his desk. He had to make a decision. He could admit to the strictest teacher that he didn't have his homework, or he could try to run back to his room and risk getting back late. She hadn't arrived yet.<p>

"Cover for me. I forgot my homework," he hissed to Hamilton before he dashed out of the room, not waiting for the younger boy's reply. He ran through the hallways in a complicated pattern. It was sketched in his brain from traveling through it many times in the past weeks. He eventually skidded in front of his room.

Jonah fumbled with the knob in his haste, willing it to open. He finally flung the door open and grabbed his homework. He slammed the door behind his and flew back the way he came. A few meters from the door he slowed down into a walk. He was only three minutes late. He slowed his breathing and confidently approached the room, sure that Hamilton covered for him. As he entered the room he noticed everyone staring him, including Ms. Flores. He walked up to their teacher and handed her the homework.

"Here's the homework. Sorry I'm late," Jonah said suavely.

"That's fine. Thank you." His eyes widened in shock. Did she just _thank_ him? He managed a nodded before heading to his seat. "And Jonah?"

"Yeah?" he replied, turning around.

"You look remarkably well for someone who broke their spine after getting their head stuck in a fish bowl." Jonah glared at Hamilton as Hamilton shrugged.

"Well, it's a long story…"

"One we'd be delighted to hear."

"Well, um, I recently got a goldfish…"

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><p>"And it's fine to make fun of the other branches, as long as it's not my branch?" Amy shouted at Ian furiously.<p>

"Love, that's not what I meant…" Ian pleaded.

"And you expect me to laugh at their expense?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

"Love, you're taking this the wrong way…" Ian protested, wishing his training had covered what to do with angry girlfriends.

"You're supposed to be an honorary Madrigal! And a boyfriend to the future _leader_ of the Madrigals!"

"Love, please, I can explain…"

"Then please do!"

"Am I allowed to speak without interruptions?" he asked meaningfully.

"Sorry," she mumbled, her temper calming, but still simmering.

"I meant that as an introduction to give you this." He pulled out a blue velvet box and handed it to her. She opened it and found a pair of silver and emerald earrings. She gasped.

"Oh Ian, it's beautiful!" she cried throwing her arms around him. "Thank you so much!" He wrapped his arms around her waist as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for over reacting," she apologized, her voice muffled from her shoulder.

"I forgive you."

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><p>"Come. On!" Amy groaned as she and Nora struggled to push an obstinate Natalie towards Tomas class.<p>

"I don't play volleyball!" Natalie complained, latching onto a branch. Nora let go and reach to break off the branch, and Amy started pulling Natalie towards the court again.

"Natalie, it doesn't have to be this hard! Just try!" Amy panted. "Please!" To Amy's surprise and relief, Natalie went limp before straightening up.

"Fine," she snapped. "But if I hate it, watch what you eat tomorrow!" Amy grinned and turned to Nora as Natalie stomped toward the group.

"That's the Natalie we know and love," she laughed as they followed the irate girl. They had learned the basic skills in volleyball in class yesterday, but this was the first time playing it on a court and for some reason, Natalie didn't want to try.

The teams had already been split. Amy, Reagan, Hamilton, Dan, Ted and Ian were on one team, and Nora, Madison, Natalie, Jonah, Ned and Sinead on the other. They spread out with Hamilton captain on one team and Nora on the other.

The captains sorted their teams and flipped a coin for serve. Amy's team won the serve. As she shifted back and forth on the balls of her feet, she felt a rush of adrenaline go through her as she waited for the beginning of the game. The game continued after Hamilton's first initial serve. Amy was setting along with Reagan, and she began to find the quick flicking movements of her wrist easier every time.

The game continued at an easy pace, though Natalie was still visibly nervous. Soon Nora was next to her, directing the younger girls movements and demonstrating them. Amy was relieved to see Natalie start smiling after a dig or good set.

Even though it was a friendly game, as everyone improved, it became more competitive. The Holts were slamming the ball to the floor while more nimble players flew over the court to save the ball from hitting the ground. At the end of the match with a victory to Amy's team, they were all drenched in sweat and hurried to the mansion to take a quick shower before the next class. On the way, Amy joined Natalie.

"So Natalie, what did you think? Should I be ready for poison in my cereal tomorrow?" Natalie pondered the question before shaking her head.

"You'll live. Though," she said straightening, "your brother might not. I swear, he was aiming those spikes right at me!" Amy laughed as they made their way inside.

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><p>"Daniel Arthur Cahill! I'm going to kill you!" Sinead shouted as he ran around with her tools. It was third time that night, and she was starting to get annoyed. Amy and Nora sat talking about Madrigal business as Sinead chased Dan around. Everyone else was talking quietly in the middle of the room. The group was content, as it was September 30th, the last day of the month. Even though everyone knew they had homework, they just relaxed to celebrate the last day of the month.<p>

"Oww!" Dan groaned as a hammer fell out from the tool box and fell on his foot. Sinead quickly swooped and grabbed the box from his grip and the hammer off the floor.

"You completely deserved that," she retorted, heading back to her spot. All of a sudden, Reagan fell backwards and blocked her path. She narrowly avoided tripping over the girl.

"Sorry!" Reagan apologized over her shoulder after she got up. She grabbed a pillow like her sister was holding and hit her with it. Madison swung the pillow again, and as Reagan ducked to the side and around, Sinead was smacked with the pillow instead. Unlike her sister, Madison didn't bother to apologize and turned around to strike again.

Sinead stealthily grabbed a pillow and smacked Madison with it. "Pillow fight!" Dan shouted gleefully, grabbing his own pillow. Soon, the room was filled with yelling teens, whirling pillows and loose feathers. The fight only ended when the pillows were all destroyed. Most people fell back into their seats, besides Amy.

"Guys? It's nine fifteen. I'm heading up to bed. See you all tomorrow!" Amy said, dropping the empty cloth clutched in her hand. Slowly people trickled up the stairs, until Sinead and Hamilton were left. They were both trying to clear their space of feathers, but gave up after they found how small the feathers were. Sinead stood up first, closely followed by Hamilton. She smiled at him and he grinned back.

"Night Hamilton," she said, giving a small wave. He waved back before heading toward his staircase.

"Night Sinead." She watched as he retreated before heading to her bed. She fell asleep thinking about a certain Tomas.

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><p><strong>~ So does that work for everyone? I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This was one of my favorite chapters to write. I checked this over three times, so I'm hoping there aren't mistakes, but if you notice them tell me! Happy Easter everyone! I already got a tummy ache from my candy, but that hasn't stopped me from eating it! :) Anyway, please review. It makes me happy! Thanks to amianfan102, Agent louise, addicted2reading9 and BookwormGirl16 for offering to help me beta! If I haven't contacted you already, I should today. Thanks everyone! ~<strong>


	18. October

Hey everyone! Sorry for taking so long to get this up. I kinda rushed on this chapter, so constructive criticism is welcome. Everyone is different now, so I'm sorry if they are OOC, but please be kind. Anyway, read, review and enjoy!

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><p>Dan grinned evilly as he quietly snuck into Ian's room. Ian was off with Natalie, who had distracted Ian by forcing him to go shopping with her. Dan hated to admit it, but Natalie could be a good partner-in-crime. Not that he would tell her that.<p>

As he reached Ian's laptop, he refocused on his task. His goal was to hack into Ian's ClicheMe page and embarrass him in front of his million followers.

Dan quickly powered the laptop up and tried and started guessing a few passwords. He knew that all he had to do was figure out the login password. After a few random tries, he looked back to his code breaking class. He took a deep breath and looked around for inspiration. His gaze landed on the dresser. One of the drawers was ajar, and a piece of fur was sticking out. When Dan investigated, he found a plush teddy bear with silken clothes. In the corner of the shirt embroidered in gold was _Mr. Buttons_.

Dan ran to the computer and quickly typed in mrbuttons. Surprisingly, the password worked and Dan quickly passed the defenses on ClicheMe. He decided to change the favorites to snooty designers, giving stuff to poor people, Dan's epic ninja skills and of course, teddy bears. Dan had finished destroying Ian's page and online dignity when he heard voices outside.

"No Natalie! I'm tired of this. Carry your own bags. I'm not going back to anymore stores!" Ian's familiar voice floated up the stairs. Dan could hear Natalie protesting, trying to buy him some time. Dan quickly ran into the closet and hid. Soon after the closet door closed, Ian staggered in and sat down at the chair by the computer. Dan saw him reach for the laptop and swore under his breath. It needed at least an hour to make the changes!

"Ian? Can you help me please?" Amy's voice called. Ian stood up, but paused when he noticed Mr. Buttons on the bed. Dan's heart when he realized he had broken the number sleuthing rule. Always cover your tracks!

After a few antagonizingly long seconds, Ian replaced the teddy bear in the drawer before leaving. Dan waited a few minutes before dashing into the hall, almost hitting Natalie.

"Is it done?" she asked as they slipped away. Dan nodded gleefully and Natalie smiled. They walked for a few more minutes before Dan broke the silence.

"Did you know your brother has a teddy bear?"

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><p>Reagan smiled as she twirled. Madison was beside her, and they were both enjoying the spotlight as they finished up their dance. They simultaneously bowed as the rest of the Janus class applauded.<p>

The class assignment was to sing, play, or dance to a song. Madison had agreed to a ballet routine, and for the past few weeks everyone had been practicing. Most people had already gone.

"Amy, you're up next!" Lan called out to the class. Reagan watched curiously as Amy stood up. Though many people's acts were already known, Amy's was one of the few that were a surprise. She grabbed a guitar from the side of the stage before climbing onto the makeshift stage.

Amy didn't say anything before she started strumming. Soon after she began singing however, Reagan recognized That's the Way It Is by Celine Dion. Reagan was surprised to learn that Amy had a good voice, not that Reagan would have found that out during the hunt.

Amy sang the last line of the song and bowed, blushing. Everyone was applauding enthusiastically, including Dan. She hurried off the stage and retook her seat next to Ian. He whispered in her ear and her embarrassed smile turned into a relaxed grin. She slapped his shoulder lightly before returning her attention to Lan.

"And next up is Dan," Lan announced before retreating off the stage. Oh, this was going to be interesting.

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><p>Ted clicked away on his computer, trying frantically to pass the firewall. Ned was beside him, waiting for the cue to destroy the defenses. Regan and Madison were frozen in the pitch black room below Ned and Ted. The earphones attached to the team were silent only adding to the intensity.<p>

They were in the middle of Ms. Flores's missions. Their goal was to break into a well-defended house and get an artifact out. And unfortunately, though the breakout wasn't real, the lasers were. If Ted couldn't pass the security wall soon and let Ned destroy the defenses, Reagan and Madison are going to have to risk it. At this thought his hands sped up faster.

"Any luck so far?" Reagan's voice sounded through his earpiece. She sounded nervous, but calm. He had no idea how she was she was pulling it off, but she was.

"One second… ahhh." Ted broke through the main frame and disabled the rest. "It's a go Ned." It was Ted's turn to relax and watch as his brother turned off the lasers, cameras and trip wires and flame shooters.

"Done. Go ahead. Beware though. It seems a little easy," Ned said, his voice crackling through speakers. Ted held his breath watching them tiptoe across the room with their flashlights. The lights paused on a painting across the rom.

"That's it guys," Reagan said, her voice shaking. She strode forward impulsively.

"Reagan, no!" Ted yelled into his earpiece, but it was too late. No one had noticed a small dark button installed in front of the painting, but as Reagan stepped on it and grabbed the painting, alarms began blaring and the doors slammed shut.

"Get out of there!" Ned shouted, his hands working frantically. Ted was doing the same. The stupid button must not have been turned off. He continued working intently until he heard a crash reverberate through the headpiece. He looked to find the Holt girls barreling into the metal door. Not surprisingly, the door had already started to cave in at the force the girls applied on it.

"Are you alright?" he called as they steeled themselves to try again.

"Sure, I always purposely run into metal doors. What do you think Ekat?" Madison growled through gritted teeth. The door finally caved in and broke at the fourth hit. The girls ran out, Reagan clutching the painting.

"Sorry, sorry," Ted muttered as he took off his headset. Mission complete.

* * *

><p>Jonah almost couldn't hold in his laughter as Nellie tried to settle the class down. It was a week before Halloween and Dan was getting everyone into the spirit. Ever since he learned that they weren't allowed to leave the mansion to trick or treat, Dan had been pushing for a Halloween party.<p>

"Please, Nellie? It would be awesome!" Dan begged. The girls chimed in as well.

"Can it be a masquerade ball?" Natalie squealed. Amy, Sinead and Nora grinned.

"Yeah," Amy agreed. "We can plan it all, as long as you provide the funding," she continued, cajoling Nellie further.

"Guys, I think it's a great idea, but I don't think we can," Nellie said impatiently. Dan's narrowed and Jonah jumped in.

"Come on dude, calm down."

"I think we should take a vote," Nora chimed in. Nellie slumped onto her desk, knowing she was defeated.

"Fine. Who wants the ball?" Everyone raised their hand. The vote was unanimous.

"If you can convince Fiske, fine. I'll make a list of ingredients I need for the food. You can go shopping this weekend if he says yes. Class dismissed." Jonah smiled as everyone left to talk to Fiske.

"Thanks," he called before leaving. It was party time.

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><p>Sinead gazed around the ballroom in awe. The Cahills had held parties before, but nothing this big. They had set up black and orange streamers and balloons, tables off to the side, and different colored lights flashing around the room. The tables were loaded with Nellie's cooking, and the balcony doors were open, letting the chilly October air flow in.<p>

"No, that's a costume party, not a masquerade ball!" Amy said for the umpteenth time. Dan had come dressed up in a ninja costume, and refused to take it off. Besides Dan though, everyone was dressed traditionally. The boys were all dressed in suits, and the girls wore elaborate dresses with masks. The colors ranged from Natalie in pink to Sinead in green.

"But I'm a ninja. Watch!" he cried as he began his arms in karate moves. Alarmed, Sinead stepped back. In her haste to get away from Dan however, she ran into Hamilton. She smiled embarrassedly as he helped her steady herself.

"Sorry," she apologized as everyone disbursed around the room.

"It's fine," he responded. He gestured to the open balcony doors. "Do you want to get fresh air?" She nodded and followed him out, glancing back at Amy. Amy winked at her before being twirled away by Ian.

As she arrived on the balcony, she looked at the swimming pool underneath the moonlight and felt him standing next to her as she gazed over the railing. They stood quietly for a minute. She looked back inside to see most everyone had started dancing. Most of the Cahills, including Amy and Dan, had taken dance lessons but the Starlings and the Holts hadn't. So when Hamilton offered her his hand, she was more than a little nervous.

"I don't know how to dance," she warned him.

"Neither do I," he replied cheerily as he took her hand. They swayed back and forth slowly on the balcony, chatting absently.

"The Cahills outdid themselves, don't you think?" Sinead laughed.

"Definitely," he agreed, "Although, I have a feeling Dan didn't help with setting this up."

"Most likely," she replied, smiling. A chilly wind blew by, and she shivered in her short sleeves.

"You alright? Here." He moved so he was blocking the wind. She fought the heat that rushed to her face as he lifted her mask off.

"The mask isn't nearly as beautiful as you," Hamilton murmured. She smiled inwardly at the line as he kissed her. Halloween. It definitely was a magical night.

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><p>Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I'll try to update faster this time. Thanks to everyone out there. It means a lot that I'm up to 138 reviews. Thanks for supporting me! This chapter is dedicated to Hihmgu for giving me the idea for the last scene. If there are any scene ideas out there for November, I would love to hear them. I love you guys!<p>

Kahillkid5


	19. The Final Stretch

Hi everyone! Remember me? I'll keep this short, but for all you devoted readers who are confused with this chapter, I'll explain later. For now, read, review and enjoy!

Sinead bent over her test. It was the last final of the year. She had passed all of the other tests, with flying colors, of course, but the Madrigal test was proving to be harder than the others. The questions were based more on ethics and teamwork, and less on facts. And ethics and teamwork weren't things that you learned in the clue hunt. Still, she was feeling reasonably confident until she reached the last question.

_While you are on a mission with four others, one of your team mates is shot and falls. She is alive, but unable to stand. Everyone else can escape, as long as they move quickly. The team turns to you as the leader. What do you do?_

Sinead thought for a minute before responding: _I would have the rest of the team go and see if I could stall the guards long enough to save my team mate, but get out if it was impossible._

She turned her test in, confident in her answer. After all, what was the point of losing everyone over one person?

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><p>Ian grinned as he reclined in his seat. Though he wasn't hopping up and down like Dan, he was enjoying the last day of classes. The only thing they had done the whole was receive scores, play games and talk.<p>

He smiled at Amy, his girlfriend of nine months, as she entered the room and sat next to him. He took her hand as they talked, her face aglow.

"Aren't you excited?" she asked. "Soon we'll graduate and be active agents!" He grinned at her enthusiasm.

"Of course, love," he responded as Nellie entered the room. The class quieted as she walked around to the front of the desk and leaned against it. Everyone was eager to her the results.

"Everyone passed with amazing scores," she began, "but only two of you got a 100." Ian smirked. He had this one.

"Congratulations to Amy and Dan!" Ian's eyes widened. He wasn't surprised that Amy got a 100, of course. His girlfriend had been studying so much lately, he hadn't got to spend much time with her. But Dan?

"It may have been unfair as they are madrigals, but they were the only ones to correctly answer the last question. Most of you either said you would leave the person behind or stay behind to help."

"What I was looking for was not to split up. If two people helped the person escape, the other could hold off the guards. Teamwork is an essential part of being an agent. If you had left that person behind, not only would you probably never see them again, but you would endanger yourself and others. They would be tortured for information before being killed." Nellie paused a moment to let that set in.

"Think about that. Anyway, Fiske and all your teachers are very proud of your improvements throughout the year. I am entitled to accept you as active agents after your graduation. A cheer rose at this. The class settled down as Amy raised her hand.

"When is the graduation?" she asked.

"Five days from now," Nellie replied. Ian felt a pang of sense of unease. Why so long? He pushed the thought from his mind as Nellie continued.

"Fiske and I decided to reward you for all your hard work through the year with a party for the Cahills tomorrow evening. All agents in their teens will be attending. It will be just like a high school dance, so no formal dress is required. Alright, class dismissed. Oh, wait," she exclaimed as everyone started to leave. "Just remember, if you are late to graduation, you won't graduate. Alright kiddos, have a good time tomorrow.

Ian stood up to leave as Amy came over, almost bouncing with excitement.

"Can you believe it Ian? Our first real high school dance! Well, yours, anyway. I went to one at Attleboro High..." he hugged her as she continued talking. It's amazing how much one person can change in a year, he thought ruefully, remembering. At the beginning of the year, he wouldn't have hugged anyone, including his sister. Now, he always felt more relaxed and, well, happier with her around. Her smile had the power to make his whole day better. They had a few difficulties spend the way, but they always managed to push through. Occasionally however, he wondered if the power she had over him was a good thing.

Even so, he grinned down at her. "Amy Cahill, will you go to the dance with me?" She smiled back at him.

"I thought you'd never ask."

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><p>Amy spun around, laughing, as she knocked into Dan, tripping him. He stuck his tongue out at her before turning to grab more Cheetos off of the refreshment table. She turned to continue dancing with Sinead, Natalie and a few of her madrigal friends. They were goofing off and doing random ballet moves to the upbeat pop music playing.<p>

Amy continued to sing, dance and laugh for another hour, before she decided to sit down and take a break. She sat down by the refreshment table and relaxed. The room was decorated like any other high school dance. The room was dark besides for the colored lights that danced around the room. Besides the table next to her, there was nothing in the room besides seating, the DJ stand and the doors leading to the balcony.

Amy's eyes returned to the DJ stand. Amy was surprised realize that she didn't know the DJ or the caterers that were weaving their way through the crowd. Fiske had hired ten people, including the DJ, to help set up and clean up everything, which seemed a little excessive. But then what did she know?

"Alright people, it looks like this dance is coming to a close," the DJ said, his voice ringing through the speakers. "We have time for one more song before its time to pick up. Let's finish it with one last slow song."

Amy stood, looking around for Ian. She hadn't gotten to dance with him yet, as other boys always seemed to be asking her, some of them extremely cute. She never let them get farther then flirting however, as she was loyal to Ian, and knew she could never leave him. She continued searching wasn't able to find him in the ballroom, but caught his accent as she passed a doorway leading to the hallway. She paused, but couldn't hear what he was saying. She turned the corner, only to see one of the Janus girls that attended the party kiss him!

Amy gasped and stumbled back, her eyes blurring with tears. Ian pulled away from the girl, though she continued holding on to his arm.

"Love, I can explain..." he began, stepping toward her. She retreated farther away from him.

"No thanks. First Korea, now this? That's it. I decided to give you one more shot Ian. I fell in love with you again. But I can't be with you if you're going to always stab me in the back!" she yelled, her heart wrenching.

"Love please..." he pleaded, stepping forward again. Amy turned and ran away.

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><p>The DJ watched as Amy ran out of the hallway and escaped the door leading to their bedrooms. "The Cahill girl is alone, and upset. She is heading towards the bedrooms. Time to act. Who's got her?" he asked, speaking into his headset.<p>

"I'll take care of her," Agent three responded. He watched as a caterer separated himself from the crowd and slip through the door. It was go time.

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><p>Amy continued running, but soon, she tripped, falling onto the carpet. She froze, her ears listening for movement. She laid her head in her hands after she realized he wasn't going to follow. Her body shook as she sobbed. She cried even harder as she remembered how she had thinking about how loyal she was not eight minutes before. She waited until it was mostly out of her system before slowly standing and walking again. People were going to be coming soon, and she didn't want to talk. As she thought about it, she heard footsteps approaching. She started to turn but was too late. Before she could fight it, a cloth wrapped around her mouth and she blacked out.<p>

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><p>Dun-Dun-Dun! Anyway, I want to start by thanking everyone for being so supportive of me, and reviewing, even when I don't update. I have been very busy and spent the day typing this instead of doing homework, which isn't a good habit to get into. So, I have decided to finish the story. This is the end of the school year, leading to graduation. I'll finish it, and if I have time, I'll go back and add in all the months I have missed. It's not fair to keep you guys waiting. Thanks to all who have reviewed and kept me going. Any questions, PM me or review and let me know. Ta-ta!<p> 


	20. Escape Plan

Hi everyone! I got the next chapter up, and I hope you enjoy it. Remember, read and review! Thanks! Let the story continue…

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><p>Amy groaned as she sat up, her head pounding. It took her a minute to get the energy to open her eyes. Once she did however, she was wide awake.<br>She was sitting on the floor in a bright white room. The other clue hunters were littered around the room, still sleeping, except Sinead, who was stirring. Amy stood up and carefully made her way over to Sinead.  
>"Sinead," Amy whispered, shaking her. Sinead didn't respond. "Sinead, wake up." Amy shook her more forcefully. This time, Sinead groaned and covered her face with her hands.<br>"Amy, I swear, I am not getting up early to do another judo lesson with you. That was a mistake."  
>"I said I was sorry about that! Anyway, it wasn't my fault," Amy replied.<br>"Yeah, whatever," Sinead mumbled.  
>"Anyway, you might want to open your eyes." Sinead removed her hands from her face and squinted into the light.<br>"Where are we?" she asked, looking around. She propped herself up on her elbows. "Is anyone else awake?"  
>"Nope," Amy replied. "I don't know what happened."<br>"How did they get you?" Sinead asked. "You've been training for months. You managed to flip Hamilton last week." Amy bit her lip, trying to forget the moment.  
>"I was... distracted," Amy responded haltingly, hoping she would just leave it alone. But Sinead was her best friend for a reason.<br>"Amy, what happened?" Sinead asked sharply. "You can't lie to me."  
>"I saw Ian with someone else," Amy whispered, feeling tears start to fill her eyes. Again.<p>

"Oh, Amy," Sinead said, reaching to give her a hug. "I'm so sorry." They sat quietly for a moment. "So, how are we going to get back at him?"

"Sinead!" Amy cried out, glaring at her.  
>"Oh, come on. You're not going to talk to him or do something equally stupid, are you?"<br>"No. I am going to get us out of here, and if we survive that, then I'll settle with ignoring him."  
>Sinead groaned. "I knew it! Amy, you're one of the few girls in the world who has the means and the money to take revenge. What about scorpions or bear traps? At least spread red snapper in his bed at a reunion."<br>"Sinead!" Amy said laughing. "That sounds a little harsh."  
>"Not at all. Anyway, we can talk later. We should wake everyone up. It's time to get out of here." They stood up and made their way around the room, waking people up. Though most people were sleepy from whatever drug their kidnappers used, everyone woke up fairly quickly. However, the calm was destroyed soon enough.<br>"No!" Everyone turned at Natalie's scream. "No, not again, I can't be trapped again..."  
>Amy ran over to her. "Shhh, Natalie, it's ok. We'll get out of here, don't worry." Ian walked over.<br>"I've got her." Amy's heart wrenched as Ian took Natalie. Their eyes met, and he stepped closer. "Amy, please let me..."  
>"No Ian. Not now," Amy said shortly. She turned away from him and spoke to the group. "Alright everyone. Circle up." As everyone sat down in a circle, Sinead spoke.<br>"Let's start with what we know. All we know right now is that we were all taken from the mansion last night and put here," Sinead began. "I believe the only group strong enough would be the Vespers."  
>"Are you sure?" Ned asked cautiously. "The Vespers aren't stupid. They would have better security than this."<br>"Maybe it's because we're all kids," Dan offered. "Last time, some adults were captured too."  
>"I don't think they're dumb enough to believe that we're not threats," Sinead replied. "We need to be ready for the worst possible scenario. For that, we need a leader. I nominate Amy as the team captain for this mission."<br>"What? I'm not sure about that..." Amy protested. "It should probably be someone more qualified."  
>"Yes," Hamilton said sarcastically, "you're not qualified. You're only smarter than most Ekats, disguise yourself better than most Janus, lie better than most Lucians and throw most Tomas across the room. It's not like you won a hunt for power and brought together a family with a history of lying, back stabbing and murder with just your little brother and au pair before ascending to become the leader of the Madrigals. Oh wait,<em> you did that too<em>."  
>"Amy, you're the only one who can do this. Please?" Sinead asked quietly. Amy looked around the circle, and seeing no disagreement, sighed.<p>

"Alright."

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><p>"Here's the plan," Amy said briskly. Though she was nervous at first, Sinead had helped her take charge. They had worked on the escape as everyone else looked for exits besides the main door.<br>"The door will be difficult, but not impossible. Hamilton, Reagan, Madison, your first job is to get that door down. We'll all be waiting to back them up, in case there are guards waiting outside. We don't know their numbers or the layout or anything else really, so this will be a tentative plan. To start we are going to split up into teams of two. Ned and Ted, you're pair one. Alright?"  
>"Perfect," they said in unison.<br>"Good. Reagan and Madison, you're pair two. You guys are following Ned and Ted, as one unit. Travel together until you hit a fork, then you can split into the pairs and keep going. Natalie and Hamilton, you're next. You'll be working with Ian and Dan."  
>"Wait, wait, wait." Dan interrupted. "You're pairing me with the Cobra?" Amy sighed.<br>"Dan, we've talked about this." Dan snorted.  
>"Yes, and the Cobra and I are the best of friends now. Why can't he go with you? He is your boyfriend."<br>"I couldn't agree more," Ian agreed quickly before Amy could protest. "I'll go with Amy, and Daniel can be with Sinead." Amy looked at Sinead who gave her a sympathetic look.  
>"Fine," she said through gritted teeth. She knew it was best for the team, as Ian and Dan would try to blow each other up the first chance they got. "Anyway," she continued, focusing once more, "Unit one will head left once we meet an intersection and unit two will go right. Ian and I will stay here. If you find anything important, like a command center, an exit or weapons, report back immediately. First priority is to escape, but if you find any information about the kidnappers, it would help. Also, if you come across a group of six or more and they haven't spotted you, don't engage. Come back and Ian and I will come help you out. Sound good?" Everyone nodded.<br>"Remember," she added, "we can't leave anyone behind." Everyone nodded once again and started preparing to escape. Hamilton grinned as he turned to face the door.  
>"Let's do this."<p>

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><p>It had taken them a while before the door finally broke down. As the Holts finally ripped through the door, everyone surged forward, ready to fight. However, to their surprise, no one was there.<br>"This is weird," Sinead whispered softly, her voice echoing in the hallway. She looked around. There were no guards running toward them, no alarms blaring.  
>"Alright, remember the plan," Amy said quietly. "Ian and I will wait here. Anything important, report back immediately. Good luck." The groups departed silently, no one daring to talk. The door was placed in the middle of a hallway, so thankfully, there were only two directions to go. Sinead's group started to the right, with Hamilton in lead and Sinead guarding the back.<br>They carefully went around the corner, watching for guards. As they turned the corner, Hamilton suddenly stopped and pulled them back.  
>"There's a room around there. I saw a glimpse of screens. What should we do, sneak past or attack?"<br>"How many people are in there?" Sinead whispered.  
>"I don't know. I couldn't see." She bit her lip.<br>"We could send one person in to quietly investigate and see what it is," Dan proposed. "It might be something important. It should be someone small, stealthy and very intelligent," Dan said. "Why, maybe someone who's like... like a ninja." Dan continued innocently. "But where could we find someone like that?" He asked, looking around, before a big grin lit up his face. "I know who!"  
>"So do I," Sinead interrupted. She turned to face Natalie. "Think you're up for it?" Natalie nodded as Dan protested.<br>"But... but," he blustered. Natalie put a hand on his arm.  
>"It was very sweet of you to say those things about me," she said, smirking. She turned to Hamilton and Sinead. "I'll be right back." She turned and ghosted into the room, leaving a scowling Dan behind her.<p>

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><p>"Ian, this is not the time to talk."<br>"Amy, just listen to me."  
>"No."<br>"You can't avoid me forever."  
>"Watch me."<br>"Love, it meant nothing..." Amy spun around to face him.  
>"<em>Don't<em> call me that," she spat. She turned away again in disgust.  
>"We were dancing, and she asked to go into the hallway to talk. I figured she wanted talk about art, as I may have recently borrowed a painting from the stronghold, so I agreed. We entered the hallway, and before I knew it, she kissed me. I would never hurt you like that," Ian pleaded. Amy didn't look up.<br>"You already did," she mumbled, tears stinging her eyes. He took her hands in his.  
>"Love," he began, only to have her pull away.<br>"Not. Here. Got it? We can't put this mission at risk."  
>"I can't wait." Ian pulled Amy towards him until they were face to face. "Amy, you changed my life. You trusted me to become a better person, and I changed. Trust me, besides you, I've never begged anybody for forgiveness. I have never been dependent on anybody for anything, until you came along. You have the power to make me do anything, just to make you happy."<br>"Ian," Amy whispered, tears falling down her face.  
>"Please Amy. If you truly hate me now, just tell me. I'll leave, and you'll never see me again. But, if you feel how I feel, please, please, please, tell me forgive me. I'll always love you." As he finished, he leaned down and kissed her.<br>Amy's head spun as their lips met, electric shocks traveling through her body where his hands touched, her heart pounding. She knew that he's broken her heart, in Korea and at the mansion. She knew that he had the same power over her that she had over him. He had manipulated that before. But she did realize he had changed for her. He had been there when she needed him and in that moment, she realized she couldn't be without him. She loved him just as much as he loved her. He pulled back and looked at her.  
>"I…" she began before turning to see Ned run down towards them. He stopped breathless in front of them.<br>"I think we've found an exit."

* * *

><p>Reagan crouched quietly behind some boxes, watching the guards standing by the door. There were four guards lounging against the door, obviously bored. Though both Holts had wanted to attack, the Starlings were more cautious, and cautioned them to wait. After all, they would only have one shot at escaping. If they couldn't get out, they would be captured or worse. Reagan shuddered thinking about it.<p>

She was so focused on the door however, she didn't realize someone was behind her until she heard a voice in her ear.

"Reagan, we're here." Though Reagan was startled, she resisted the urge to jump, and turned to find Amy and Ian there.

"One by one, we are going to retreat back to the room," she whispered. Everyone strained to hear her, as she made sure that the guards couldn't her them. "Go," she said tapping Madison on the shoulder. Madison quietly retreated, and the others followed one by one. Soon, only Amy and Reagan remained. Amy nodded to Reagan, but before she left she paused.

"What about you?" she asked. She knew Amy was a good agent, but not good enough to take on four agents alone, plus any backup they may have. Amy smiled, touched at her concern.

"I'll be fine. I won't take them on by myself. I'm not crazy." Reagan grinned.

"Like Dan?" Amy's grin grew wider.

"Like Dan. Now, get out of here. I'll be right behind you." Reagan glanced at the men and silently slipped away, leaving Amy crouched by herself.

* * *

><p>Hi y'all. I updated again! Twice in one month! Yay! First things first. I read Day of Doom. Is anyone else majorly disappointed about how Cahills vs. Vespers changed the story? I'm sorry but this series has gone downhill from the first ten books. Anyway, if anyone wants to have a ranting session, PM me. I always feel better afterwards.<p>

Anyway, I'm sorry for any confusion the change in this story set up has caused. I'm finishing the story, and I probably have about two or three chapters left, maybe more. We'll see. A major thanks to everyone who reviewed and/or favorite my story. Honestly, you people are my motivation. Though to everyone who didn't bother reviewing, it does mean a lot, and if you could take the time, I'd appreciate it. I still love you all lots, and I hope everyone has a good May. Adios!


	21. We're where?

Hey everyone!I deserve everything you are mentally throwing at me right now. I've been really busy and thanks to a recent reviewer, just recently realized I haven't updated.

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><p>Natalie froze, hidden by a chair as the man snored again. Though she was originally cautious about entering the room unarmed, she was disgusted to find the sole guard asleep on the job. She crept around the room and moved to silently open a cabinet, and was thrilled to find weapons and other gadgets stacked on the shelves. She made sure to leave the cabinet opened a crack before continuing her examination of the room.<br>As she neared the security screens, she realized why the alarm didn't sound at their escape. The alarm was manual, and the guard would have to be awake in order to press the button. She glanced at the screens and saw that the other group and Ian were all gathered by the room, talking. She decided it was probably time to join them, as there was nothing left to search.  
>She did glance around one more time before returning to the cabinet and opening it. She carefully grabbed five of the tazers and three tranquilizer guns. She grinned, relaxing now that she was armed.<br>She quickly retreated into the hall, and pushed the weapons into Hamilton's arms, ignoring their curious looks. She took a tranquilizer gun from the stack and returned to the room. She reopened the cabinet and grabbed some headsets before reaching for the bulky black backpacks that lined the bottom shelf. She knelt in order to start unzipping the backpacks, but as the zipper moved, the guard stirred. She froze, her hand hovering over the bag, and waited until his snoring resumed. She grabbed four of the backpacks and lugged them out of the room. She would have to open them later.

* * *

><p>Amy waited until Reagan was out of sight before she started to rise. However, she quickly dropped again as she heard a voice.<br>"Still here, huh?" She tensed, ready to strike as the figure came closer. As he stepped into the light, Amy realized it was another guard and relaxed as she realized he wasn't talking to her. She listened closely as he continued. "That stinks. Guard duty is terrible. After all, it's not like those Cahill brats are getting out. Hopefully, the new V1 will be more successful in getting the clues from the kids than the last one. I'm glad that I'm not in those kids' shoes." The guards laughed at this, and the new guard started to leave.  
>"Oh, I forget to tell you. Your replacement will be here in an hour, and once you're ready, V2 wants us to take one of the vans to the Californian headquarters." Amy's eyes widened at this. How far away had they come from Massachusetts? As she was thinking, the man left, leaving the door guard resigned to boredom. She took one last look around before getting up and stealing away.<p>

* * *

><p>"Shoot!" Hamilton growled, rubbing his head. He turned to see his team snickering as he strengthened up. "Do you guys want to try?" he snapped. Sinead composed herself and looked at him with a completely straight face.<br>"I don't think rest of us are tall enough to hit our head on a door frame," she replied innocently. He saw Dan and Natalie trying to hide their grins. He rolled his eyes before beckoning to them.  
>"Let's go find Amy and Ian. We can show them the stuff we've found," he suggested, lowering his voice. Everyone nodded, and they carefully began making their way back to the cell. Luckily, the building was reasonably small, so the trip was short. However, halfway there, they encountered an obstacle.<br>"Going somewhere?" They all spun around as they heard a voice behind them. They turned to find a group of guards appear from the doors behind them with guns already out.  
>"That's weird," Natalie murmured under her breath. "Those are tranquilizer guns, not real guns. Why don't they have decent weapons?" The head guard interrupted.<br>"Speak up kid. We all want to hear your last words," the man said mockingly. As the men behind him snickered, Hamilton felt Natalie draw nearer to him. She reached into his coat pocket, took something out and pressed it into his hand. As she pulled away, he realized she had given him his tazer. He smiled at her.  
>"What are you smiling at boy? You won't be smiling when I'm done with you," the man snarled. Hamilton tensed slightly as the man came at him with his fist raised, and at the last second, thrust the tazer under the man's arm, making contact with his chest. The man froze before crumpling to the ground. Hamilton leaned over his unconscious body.<br>"I'm still smiling," he said before stepping over the body to help his team. He quickly realized he wasn't needed however, as Natalie had pulled out her tranquilizer gun and dropped the four remaining men.  
>"Let's go," Sinead said, her voice shaking slightly. The others followed and they ran towards the cell, leaving the men unconscious behind them.<p>

* * *

><p>"Where is she?" Reagan asked, pacing back and forth. "She said she was right behind me!"<br>Madison sighed from her vantage point leaning on the wall. Amy had not returned, and no one dared to look for her, in case she was undiscovered and they blew her cover. Reagan was upset because she left Amy alone, and Ian was getting paler by the minute.  
>She straightened and started across the room. As she reached Reagan however, Hamilton burst around the corner with Natalie, Sinead and Dan close behind.<br>"We got some supplies," Hamilton started while the others attempted to catch their breath behind him. "We should get out soon though. We were just attacked. They are unconscious, but once they wake up, we're busted." As he was talking, a figure slipped behind the group and slumped against the wall.  
>"That was close," the figure said. The group spun around.<br>"Amy!" Reagan cried. Ian crossed the room and pulled her up into his arms. He held her as she relaxed. That is, until Sinead yanked Ian away.  
>"Wha-" he choked as Sinead grabbed his shirt collar and twisted it.<br>"How _dare_ you hurt my best friend, and then pretend nothing's wrong? If you _ever_ touch her again, I will rip you into a thousand pieces, throw the pieces into oil, and light it on fire. I'll..."  
>"Sinead," Amy interrupted. "It's ok. I talked to him." Sinead dropped Ian to the floor as she groaned.<br>"You forgave him? Seriously? Why do you deny me my fun?"  
>"I'm sorry. Maybe another time. Anyway, what have we found out?" Amy asked, changing the subject.<br>"We have weapons and headsets now," Sinead offered, focusing once more. "We also have backpacks, but we haven't looked in them yet."  
>"We can look later," Amy replied, waving it away. "How many headsets do we have?"<br>"Six."  
>"Perfect. I was listening to the two guards' conversation. They don't know we're gone yet, so we have surprise on our side. I so found out that they have vans out in the parking lot. A new guard is coming in an hour, so we should move before then. Remember, they are Vespers. Their goal is to get us to give them the clues, and they will go any lengths to do so. That means no one is left behind. Got it?" Everyone nodded, and they started to plan their escape.<p>

* * *

><p>"Here's the plan," Amy started. While she talked, Ian felt himself relaxing slightly. Though he knew she was capable, the thought of losing her for good was hard to bear. He gently touched the back of her hand, and she turned to smile at him briefly.<br>"Basically the plan simplifies into hit and run. Once we push through the guards, the Starlings are in charge of getting us a car, and Dan is flattening the wheels on the other cars. Sound good?"  
>"Who's driving?" Dan asked. "Cause I'm totally willing to volunteer."<br>"Sinead is driving. I'm not letting you get behind the wheel of a car after the incident with the stunt driver. You have no idea the damage that caused."  
>"That wasn't my fault," Dan replied, sulking once more. Ian grinned. He seemed to be doing that a lot.<br>"What happens if someone is hit?" Ned asked nervously.  
>"Hamilton and I can take care of that," Ian responded easily. "Hamilton can carry him, and I'll cover them."<br>"Sounds good," Hamilton said, agreeing.  
>"Everyone ready?" Amy asked after a moment of silence. "Let's go." They crept silently until they were all in their positions along the wall, hidden from sight. Ian slightly shifted so he was able watch as the guard shifted once more, obviously bored. He slowly released the tension from his body as he prepared for the signal. After all, they are just going against one person.<br>He watched as Sinead stole forward, hiding behind the boxes. She put up three fingers, and slowly lowered them until one was left. Everyone leaned forward unconsciously as she paused before lowering her last finger.  
>Then chaos broke loose.<p>

* * *

><p>They all ran forward, expecting no resistance from the lone guard. They were shocked as a small group of about four converged from either side of the attackers, pressing in. Hamilton recovered quickly, and started to fight back. He turned and started wedging his way through the enemy. As he tuned out everything but his immediate enemies, he realized the fight was unfair. Their enemies were hopelessly outmatched.<br>He had just tazed a Vesper when he felt his hair stand up on his neck. He leaned forward and felt a savage wind just pass him. He turned around to find an opponent also armed with a tazer. Hamilton straightened warily, watching his opponent. Then he struck suddenly, and his opponent crumpled to the ground, leaving an open path to the door.  
>"Let's go! We can get out this way!" He turned to run out, when a girl let out a scream. His blood ran cold as he realized who it was. He started fighting his way to her.<br>"Sinead!"

* * *

><p>Dan turned as Hamilton pushed his way to Sinead. He watched in stunned belief as Hamilton grabbed the guy that was reaching for Sinead's unconscious body and threw him until he made contact with the wall. He gently picked up his girlfriend, and holding her close, ran outside once more. This time, everyone followed him.<br>Dan darted quickly along the line of vehicles, watching around him as he used a spare knife one of the Vespers had dropped to let the air out of the wheels. He was just completing the last car as the first Vespers burst out of the building.  
>"Dan!" Amy called. He turned as Hamilton drove the van towards him. He slowed down but didn't come to a complete stop, leaving Dan no choice but to grab Amy's hand so she could yank him in. Once Hamilton saw he was safely in, he gunned the engine and took off.<br>"Ow," Dan muttered, rubbing his shoulder. "You'd think a guy's sister would try to refrain from breaking his shoulder." Amy didn't respond, as she was already leaning over Sinead.  
>As Dan looked around, he realized they were sitting in a rather unconventional van. The front of the vehicle was identical to normal cars, although it was slightly more high tech. However, there were no seats in the back, just random boxes lying around, along with pillows. They probably were for long trips, Dan decided.<br>Ian was helping Hamilton navigate up front, in the only extra seat. The Holt girls were lying down with their heads against the wall, seemingly oblivious to the cars bouncing. In the corner across from them however, Ned was having the opposite reaction to the bumpy ride, looking slightly green and mumbling to his brother, who was attempting to comfort him. Dan was still by the door watching as Amy tended to Sinead on the floor, with Natalie nearby and unfortunately, Natalie had overheard his previous comment. He winced as she clapped her hand on his shoulder.  
>"I'm sure you'll be just fine," she remarked, grinning at his discomfort. Her grinned faded as she turned back to Sinead. "Amy, is she going to be ok?" Amy turned, rubbing her eyes and sighing.<br>"She should be, yes. As far as I can tell, it was just a tranquilizer dart. Her pulse is regular and she doesn't seem to be in any pain. It's likely she is just unconscious," she said. She paused for a moment as Hamilton ran over yet another bump, sending them all tumbling. She continued as they settled down a bit. "However, the dart will need to come out soon, and I can't do it here without risking hurting her." She quieted, looking at Sinead. Dan knew she was upset, and started to go comfort her. Before he made it there, Hamilton swerved, throwing him against Reagan.  
>"Hamilton, you did pass the extreme driving class right?" Ned called, looking nauseous. Hamilton paused a moment before answering.<br>"Almost."  
>"Oh, that's reassuring," Ian muttered, turning the map in his hands. "Why are you driving again?" Hamilton glared at him.<br>"Maybe because our driver and my _girlfriend_ is unconscious." Ian shrugged.  
>"Next time, I'll drive," he said obstinately. Hamilton opened his mouth to reply to this obvious slight to his driving, before Amy interrupted him, much to Dan's disappointment. Arguments always made car rides more interesting.<br>"Hamilton, at the next exit, we need to get to town. We can get a map from a gas station and find out where we are," she said, carefully standing and walking towards the front.  
>"On it," Hamilton replied cheerfully as he sped up, sending them all bouncing once more.<p>

* * *

><p>Ted winced as Ned shoved him aside in an attempt to get out of the car. After another excruciating half hour Hamilton finally found a small town with a gas station. While Dan was getting food (which seemed like a bad idea, as Dan's idea of a good meal was a candy bar) and Amy getting a map, everyone was taking a moment to get out of the van, excluding Hamilton, who insisted sitting by Sinead. As Ted emerged from the van, he saw they were in a very small town, surrounded by grassy hills and a very blue sky. Basically, it was one of those clichéd country sides, where everything seemed perfect. Unless of course your sister was unconscious in a van. That kind of ruined it.<br>It took about a half hour to purchase enough food for seven kids and three Holts and get everyone resituated in the van. Everyone had slowly migrated inside the small store and the cashier's face paled as Madison and Reagan fought over a bag of chips and Dan began chasing Natalie around the store. That is until Natalie pulled out her tranquilizer gun, and Amy started to yell at them. Ted pitied the poor woman, having to deal with a hyper Dan and an irate Amy. Finally, Ian had calmed Amy down and started directing everyone back towards the van until everyone was in their original spots, though Ted had to spend awhile convincing Ned to get back on what he called "that horrid death trap."  
>Amy was now in the front with Ian, poring over the map that Amy had grabbed from the brochure rack. Amy was obviously tense, but she smiled at Ian as he took her hand and lightly kissed it. Strangely enough, Ted didn't mind seeing them together, unlike Dan. He respected Amy and was nervous seeing her with a guy who caused so trouble during the hunt, but he saw Ian change through the year, and decided to not question Amy's decisions.<br>Ian folded up the map and they stood and made their back, sitting next to Hamilton and Sinead, who still hadn't stirred. Dan spoke after a brief silence.  
>"So what's the plan?" He asked expectantly. Everyone watch them as Amy took a breath.<br>"We found a public park where we can hide out and treat Sinead. After that, we will take turning driving back to Massachusetts."  
>"<em>Back<em> to Massachusetts?" Madison asked, her voice edged with disbelief. "Where are we now?" Amy sighed.  
>"Montana."<p>

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><p>The silence stretched for a moment.<br>"Excuse me?" Ted asked. "Did you say _Montana_? How is that possible?"  
>"Apparently, they decided that Montana was secluded enough to have a Vesper stronghold. It's definitely going to be hard to get back, but we'll figure out what to do when we stop at the park. Hopefully Sinead will wake up soon. She'll know what to do." Ian squeezed her hand as she leaned against him.<br>"You'll figure out something love," he said quietly. "Don't worry." She gave him a halfhearted smile before focusing back on the group.  
>"Anyone need anything else before we leave?"<br>"I do! I need a solid gold mansion, ten billion dollars, a genius computer to do my homework..." Dan exclaimed, rambling on until Natalie interrupted him.  
>"Daniel, just because you <em>can<em> say something stupid doesn't mean you _have_ to," she said dryly, breaking the tension in the room. Everyone laughed as Amy and Ian made their way to the front and started up the van.

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><p>How was it? I hope you enjoyed it. Any CC would be amazing, and compliments are always nice to receive. Sorry for any spelling errors, as I wanted to get this posted. Please PM or review, it really means a lot! Ta-ta for now! -kahillkid5<p> 


	22. Car Trip!

Hey fanfictioners! I know its been forever, and I want to thank everyone who continued reviewing in my absence. I've been focusing on another piece that I might tell you more about in the next and_ final_ chapter! I can't believe it actually. I promise I will finish this, hopefully sooner rather than later. This is not one of my best chapters, but I wanted to get something up for you guys. This chapter is dedicated to hellomynameisthis, for kinda giving me the wake up call I needed. Shows how much a review can do, even if it is just one word! Thanks guys! Read and review!

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><p>Sinead groaned as she slowly gained consciousness. Every part of her body ached, but as the light filtered through her eyelids, the pain became more intense on her right leg and faded everywhere else. That is, until she felt hands on her shoulders, shaking her. Her head began pounding once again, but in spite of herself, she weakly grinned.<p>

"Hamilton, stop," she said weakly, her voice dry and raspy. To her dismay, Hamilton stopped shaking her, only to lift her into his arms and hold her close. As much as she appreciated his gesture, she let out a gasp as her leg was jostled.

"Thank goodness you're alright! I was afraid you might die. Amy took care of you though. You are ok, right? Can you speak?" Hamilton asked, worried. Sinead was really confused, but couldn't find the energy to ask. In fact, opening her eyes seemed beyond her. But she could feel Hamilton's eyes on her, and knew he was waiting for a response. Ignoring the part of her that wanted to fall back asleep, she forced her eyes open and saw Hamilton's relieved expression.

Making sure she didn't move her leg, she wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to sit up. Luckily, he realized after a few moments what she was trying to do and helped her into an upright position.

"Hamilton!" Amy reprimanded, walking over to them. "You shouldn't be moving her! Sorry Sinead, you have to lie back down." Amy helped her into a comfortable position on the grass again, and the desire for sleep once again hit her.

"Here," Amy said, handing her a water bottle. "Drink slowly, but make sure you finish it. You've been asleep for about ten hours now." For the first time, Sinead looked at her surroundings. There were few people walking in the distance, and a playground. The sun was starting to set, so there weren't very many people around.

"What happened?" She asked, her voice still sore after finishing the water.

"You got shot by the Vespers," Amy told her. "Hamilton grabbed you and we escaped. We haven't been found yet, so we pulled over to treat you and figure out a plan. We got the dart out and bandaged it up, but you'll need help getting around for a while. Somehow we ended up in Montana of all places. We were actually about to start talking about how to get back. Do you need anything before we begin?"

"Can I listen in? I don't want to just sit here." Sinead requested.

"I don't know," Amy said, hesitant. "You probably should get some sleep. Though, you do need to eat still. How about if you eat something while we talk, and you can sleep later. We have some things in the van to make it more comfortable for you."

"Perfect Thanks Amy." Hamilton answered as Sinead nodded vigorously. Amy smiled at her before walking to get the stuff from the van. Hamilton took her hand, just remaining quiet for the time it took Amy to gather the group. The older kids plus Natalie exited from the van, and Dan, Reagan and Madison came back from showing off on the playground. Amy was laden with blankets and pillows. She said something to her boyfriend, and being Ian, he grabbed a small pillow off the top and smirked at her. She laughed before throwing the pile on top of him and walking back to the tree Sinead was resting under.

"Ian will be right here with the stuff," Amy said innocently as Sinead laughed. The group settled themselves in a loose circle, all lounging on the blanket Ian had finally managed to drag over.

"How are you you feeling?" Ned asked anxiously. Sinead smiled slightly, leaning against Hamilton.

"A little better now that I'm conscious. Amy did a good job. My leg doesn't hurt that much," she answered, smiling at her best friend. Amy grinned back, sitting with Dan on one side and Ian on the other.

"Glad to help. Alright, so we have to find a way to get back. First, we have to find a different car. They'll be looking for this one. Secondly, it should only take about two days if we drive straight through. Ian, Hamilton, Ned, Ted and I can all drive, and we can take shifts. The only problem is money…" she trailed off, deep in thought.

"Too bad Jonah isn't here. He could just pose and girls would throw money at him," Ned murmured to his sister. She laughed, but stopped abruptly as a thought hit her.

"Wait a minute. Have you guys looked in the backpacks yet?" Everyone nodded. "What was in it?"

"There were some rations, fake IDs, and water bottles. There was a little bit of money in there, but not nearly enough to buy a new car," Ian answered, thinking as well. Sinead's face lit up.

"We can use that money for whatever we need while driving, and we'll just take out an I-owe-you at the dealership. We're all related to famous people, and we're practically millionaires in our right." Everyone laughed and nodded in agreement before looking to Amy, who along with Ian, was still sitting pensive. Soon she looked up and grinned.

"I'm in. After all, how can they say no?"

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><p>"Absolutely not." Natalie felt her jaw clench at the salesman's dismissive tone.<p>

"What do you mean?" Amy asked calmly, though the cool look and crossed arms belied her tone. Ned was next to her, as Ian was mapping the route and Hamilton was with Sinead, and he was dying to get out of the van. "We need a vehicle, and your's happens to be the one closest. We'll pay you back, along with extra. We're offering full price. What more do you want?"

"I'm not taking an I-owe-you from a group of teenagers. For all I know, you'll leave and never come back. Now scram before I'm forced to call for the police for harassment." Amy stepped forward, her eyes blazing, but Ned touched her shoulder gently.

"We don't have time to deal with the police. Let's go. We can get a car somewhere else," he murmured loud enough for the two girls to hear. After a tense moment, she nodded and went to turn away. That is before Natalie decided to take charge.

"You know what we don't have time for? Wasting our time looking for a car," she growled, stalking toward the man who suddenly had the sense to look a little worried.

"Natalie. We don't want him calling the police," Ned hissed urgently. "Back off."

"He won't say anything to the police. I'll tell you what he is going to do," Natalie said, now standing barely an arm's length away from the man. "He is going to lend us the car, taking our word for it, and wave cheerily to us as we drive away." Natalie wasn't overly tall, but she suddenly seemed to be towering over the cowering man. Then she decided to play her trump card.

"I am Vikram Kabra's daughter," she said, slightly grinning at the recognition that flashed through his eyes. "Yes, the Vikram Kabra. Do you want to hear what my father taught me?" She continued on, not waiting for him to answer. "He taught me to never take no for answer, and always keep my promises. And I promise, if we leave here without a car, as soon as I get within distance of my lawyer, you will be out of a job for as long as I say so, and when you come crawling to me with an apology, I'll have my butler close the door on your face. Are we clear?" He nodded, obviously terrified. "I may be a rich spoiled brat, but I'm a rich spoiled brat who gets what she wants, when she wants it." He didn't move, too afraid to confirm or deny the statement, but she was already turning to meet Ned and Amy, who stood with slight smirks on their face.

"That was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Ned informed her with a grin. She smiled haughtily as the salesman ran over with the keys to their new van.

"I know."

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><p>"God this trip is so boring," Ned moaned, leaning back in the passenger seat. Hamilton was driving, but everyone else was fast asleep around the van. They had chosen to buy one of the luxurious cars, and behind the driver seat was an empty space with seating around the edges. Sinead was lying across the seats, buckled in with Hamilton lying on the ground beside her. Amy's head was on Ian's shoulder as they slept. Natalie lay on the seat next to her brother, across from the Holt twins who had made room on the floor. Ted was sitting in the corner of the car, near Dan, who was passed out on the floor as well. Ted had just ended his shift with Dan. They had set it up so they had one person up to keep the driver company and navigate through the night, much to Ned's displeasure.<p>

"Hush, you're going to jinx it," Hamilton scolded, eyes on the road. "Boring is good." Ned groaned.

"No it's not. You don't even need me! We've been driving on the highway for the past twenty minutes. Can I just sleep?" It was their first night on the road, and they had only stopped for occasional breaks,

"No. Firstly, your complaining is the only thing keeping me awake. Secondly, Amy would kill us if she woke up and you were asleep." Hamilton answered, grinning slightly. They drove for a few more minutes before he looked in the rear view mirror and frowned. "Ned, is that police car pulling us over?" Sure enough, red lights were flashing behind them.

"Why? You're going the speed limit right?" Hamilton nodded.

"A little under actually," he said, staring into the mirror. Suddenly, he pressed the accelerator and they lurched forward, racing away from the police.

"Are you mad? What are you doing?" Ned yelled, as everyone in the vehicle recovered from he thrown across the van.

"There are four police cars out there. Either the Vespers are coming, or our little friend from the car place snitched on us. Either way, we can't get caught." Amy, overhearing his explanation, took control.

"Ned, keep an eye on the police cars. We have to lose them as soon as possible. Ian, Natalie, find us as many shortcuts, detours, anything that you can to throw them off. Dan, secure Sinead, make sure she's not thrown," she ordered. Everyone nodded and started to work, with everyone whose name wasn't called began replacing everything that was thrown. That is except Ted, who began to turn green again.

"Hold on!" Hamilton called as he made a sharp left off the highway and started swerving between cars, Natalie and Ian already calling out instructions.

"THey're about two cars back," Ned estimated, eyes glued to the side mirror. He lost sight of them briefly as they made a sharp turn, but they quickly careened back into sight. The chase continued on for five more minutes while Natalie and Ian began suggesting more and more directions.

"Take a right turn here!" Natalie shouted.

"No, they'll be expecting that. At the next stop light, take a left."

"Try cutting through a field!"

"Seriously Natalie? Do you want us all to die?"

"I'm not hearing any brilliant suggestions from you!" Sinead in the meantime was fighting not to cry out as the jolts sent a pain shooting through her leg. Even with Dan's help, it still hurt.

"That's it! Brace yourselves!" Hamilton yelled, slamming on the brakes. He took a hard left turn, sending the police cars speeding past them, after more confusing twists and turns he was back on the highway, with no police cars in sight.

"I'm not the only one who knows ignoring a police officer is a felony right?" Ted moaned, clutching his head. "We're probably all going to jail." Hamilton, as his breathing slowed, turned for a moment to look at Ned.

"This is all your fault."

* * *

><p>Duh-duh-duhh! I love the Croods. Best movie ever. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! Please review! Happy author= the final chapter (hopefully). Adios, my lovely readers. I hope I will be updating again shortly.<p> 


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